Analysis of modified digital photo images using open-source software

Order of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation No. 237 of 27.12.2012 distinguishes two types of forensic photographic examination: examination of photographic images and examination of photographic materials, each of which is aimed at solving a certain range of tasks. One of the key aspects is the identification of filming equipment from photographs, including the establishment of the type, model and identification of a particular instance of photographic equipment. In the case of digital photography, this is done using the original images as graphic files and metadata stored in the EXIF section of the file. EXIF is a standard that allows adding additional information to images and audio files, describing the conditions and methods of their acquisition, authorship, and became widespread with the advent of digital cameras. This information can be used by both users and photo experts. Modification of digital images is possible through graphic editors or through the Exif standard.By analyzing the resulting metadata, new data was found that indicated that the image had been altered by specific software at a specific time and date.The analysis of EXIF metadata showed that they can be used to store camera settings, shooting conditions and other parameters. For example, they contain the exact coordinates of the shooting location, which can be useful during investigative actions. However, this data may not always be recognized as physical evidence due to the ease of editing. Further study of this standard and development of special techniques to protect this data is required.