For the Defense - Vol. 5, Issue 2 - 36

This image shows the sectors with an azimuth
of 0. The azimuth is the middle of the first sector,
with a range between 0 and 359 degrees. The
longitude and latitude of a tower is typically
provided to the examiner directly in the Call
Detail Records, depending on the network
provider. Some providers supply a cell site listing
which requires an examiner to find the tower
of the call using cell ID and/or LAC. Once the
longitude and latitude of the tower is plotted
on a map, the azimuth is used to create the
sectors of the tower. For a three-sector tower
like the one shown, 60 degrees to either side
of the azimuth makes up the first sector. Then,
two additional 120-degree sectors can be made
to complete the full circle or full range of tower
coverage. Once all three sectors are plotted,
the examiner can highlight or shade the sector
the cell phone was using at the time of the
communication. This provides the examiner with
the approximate location of the device when
communication was made. Triangulation comes
into play when several communications are
clustered in a target time frame. Several shaded
sectors from different towers may overlap or
line up. For example, if the device is shown to
have connected to towers that are strung along
a highway in a short period of time, the device
is most likely traveling via vehicle and is on that

CDR plotting showing someone taking
the Bus or NHSL to 69th Street then
taking the MFL to City Hall, transferring
to the BSL and heading to North Philly.

36

For The Defense l Vol. 5, Issue 2

highway at that date and time.
Triangulation can also be performed with
landmarks that block line of sight. For example, if
a device is pinging off a tower in a rural area and
the tower lies in a valley, the device is most likely
located within the valley or on the mountain
sides facing the tower rather than on the other
side of the mountains.
Critical Data and How to Get It
While tower and sector data for triangulation is
the primary use of CDR data in criminal matters,
it is important to consider other types of data
available from cell phone providers. For example,
if a preservation order is sent in time, it is possible
to recover metadata of SMS and MMS messages
(to, from, date) and content. Since SMS, MMS,
and even the newest text message standard RCS
are not encrypted, all providers maintain and
have access to message content. Due to the sheer
volume of data, message content is typically only
kept for 2 to 10 days depending on the carrier. If
a preservation order is received before the text
message content is purged from the servers, it
can be provided along with CDR data in a legal
export.



For the Defense - Vol. 5, Issue 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of For the Defense - Vol. 5, Issue 2

Contents
For the Defense - Vol. 5, Issue 2 - 1
For the Defense - Vol. 5, Issue 2 - 2
For the Defense - Vol. 5, Issue 2 - Contents
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