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Smashing up a 3D printed ghost gun won't be enough to prevent CSIs from
retrieving data for forensic analysis - here's why

Date:
Mon, 25 Aug 2025 12:03:00 +0000

Description:
Fingerprinting in 3D printing could curb ghost guns, yet raises debates over
privacy, regulation, and enforcement on personal printing machines.

FULL STORY

The rise of 3D printing has offered new ways to produce tools, spare parts,
and even art. Yet its darker use has gained attention through ghost guns. 

These are firearms produced outside regulatory systems, which are difficult 
to trace and have already been implicated in violent crime, including the 
2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. 

Thankfully, researchers now believe that even if someone smashes such an
object, investigators could still recover valuable forensic information.

Building a system of hidden fingerprints 

The idea of fingerprinting in 3D printing is not entirely new. Various
approaches embed unique information into printed items, often including
details like timestamps, printer identification, and geolocation data. 

Until now, a weakness has remained: what happens when a printed object is
broken into pieces or deliberately tampered with? 

A team led by Netanel Raviv at Washington University in St. Louis has
developed a system designed to withstand such attempts. 

Its framework, named Secure Information Embedding and Extraction (SIDE), uses
mathematical methods that allow fragments to retain enough encoded detail for
investigators to recover key information. 

The SIDE system is built on earlier work presented at the IEEE International
Symposium on Information Theory in 2024, which focused on encoding methods
resilient enough to reconstruct data from partial remains. 

By extending those ideas, the current study adds security mechanisms that can
require 3D printers to include such fingerprints automatically. 

According to the researchers, SIDE does not just add markings but uses
loss-tolerant embedding techniques. This means that even a weapon 
deliberately broken into pieces may still yield identifiable data during
forensic analysis. 

On one hand, fingerprinting techniques could make it harder for illicit
weapons to circulate undetected. 

On the other hand, this raises questions about the scope of surveillance,
control over personal manufacturing, and the balance between security and
privacy. 

A beginner 3D printer used for harmless home projects might soon be subject 
to the same requirements as industrial machines if regulators decide to
mandate such systems. 

While the debate will likely focus on ghost guns, SIDE has potential uses far
beyond weapon tracing. 

Any item produced with a 3D printer could, in theory, carry this invisible
signature. 

Combined with AI tools for pattern recognition and data recovery,
investigators could reconstruct timelines and identities from fragments of
plastic or resin. 

"This work opens up new ways to protect the public from the harmful aspects 
of 3D printing through a combination of mathematical contributions and new
security mechanisms," said Netanel Raviv, assistant professor of computer
science & engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington
University in St. Louis. 

"While SIDE has limitations in defending against resourceful attackers with
strong expertise in 3D printing, it raises the level of sophistication, prior
knowledge, and expertise required from the adversary to remain undetected
after committing the crime." 

Via Techxplore

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/smashing-up-a-3d-printed-ghost-gun-wont-be-enoug
h-to-prevent-csis-from-retrieving-data-for-forensic-analysis-heres-why

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