Software forensics: old methods for a new science

Abstract

Over the past few years there has been a renewed interest in the science of software authorship identification; this area of research has been termed 'software forensics'. This paper examines the range of possible measures that can be used to establish commonality and variance in programmer style, with a view to determining program authorship. It also describes some applications of these techniques, particularly for establishing the originator of programs in cases of security breach, plagiarism and computer fraud.