The results for the 2009 challenge are due in 6 days. This year there were 1153 entries with 44 submissions, a slightly lower rate of return than last year. The challenge format was different this year. Last year’s format was a set of discrete problems at various levels of difficulty with some of the higher difficulty problems being more complex forms of the lower problems. This year the challenge was a simulation. We received a case file with information from the investigators and a type of work order for what we were to investigate. The challenge data was a single hard drive image from a system used by the suspect.

Evidence was located in a variety of places from simple chat logs to the windows registry. There were some red herrings along the way including files from previous years, but all in all it was a decent challenge. Some of the documents felt rushed, such as the case file still having track changes enabled, but given the difficulty in constructing believable simulations I cannot call the DoD to task overly much.

Below the fold is our primary report for the challenge we submitted earlier in the month. The full report including the registry report, the evidence files, and so forth will likely be released when the results are announced as they were last year. If DC3 does not release them, I will post a copy for download if anyone is interested.