Windows 10 Memory Compression in Digital Forensics - Uncovering Digital Evidence in Compressed Swap

Digital investigators and incident responders often rely on evidence residing in computer memory and page files on hard drives. Artifacts such as browsing history, image thumbnails and shell commands can answer important questions in digital investigations. Windows 10 introduces memory compression, which compresses inactive parts of computer memory, leading to obfuscation of potentially important artifacts. In this thesis, the student proposes principles and investigates methods for decompressing the parts of memory compressed by theWindows 10 operating system. The goal of the thesis is to create a method for decompressing and de-obfuscating potentially important information from compressed data in memory samples and page files, and making it available to the forensics community. Memory compression in digital forensics ofWindows 10 is a previously unsolved problem. Through research and experiments, the student has created a proof-of-concept tool with these capabilites, called ”MemoryDecompression”. The tool is tested on data from two scenarios that involves recovering strings that has been compressed and obfuscated by the memory manager. The results show that strings are in fact being obfuscated through memory compression. The tool was submitted to the Volatility Plugin Contest as a contender, and ended up on 2nd place. This is presented as an indicator of quality and potential value. It also brings attention to the issues of memory compression, and makes the tool available to the forensics community. The results, the impact and the weaknesses of the applied experiments are discussed. Finally, the thesis suggests future work in this subject, which includes further research on Windows memory manager, and further development of MemoryDecompression tool

A balancing act: The employer perspective on disability disclosure in hiring

BACKGROUND: How to disclose an impairment during the hiring process is an important question for disabled people, yet the associated employer perspective remains overlooked in the literature. OBJECTIVE: The article investigates whether, when and how employers prefer jobseekers to disclose their impairment during the recruitment process. Stigma and impression management is used as a theoretical lens to interpret employer responses. METHODS: The article uses interview data from 38 Norwegian employers paired with behavioral data from a recruitment situation. Prior to the interviews, the employers were subjected to a field experiment wherein pairs of fictitious applications were submitted for real job listings. In these, one of the applicants disclosed either a mobility impairment or a mental health condition. RESULTS: The findings show that disability disclosure is a balancing act between appearing candid and demonstrating competence and that employers favor identity management strategies that present disability in a positive and unobtrusive manner and downplay the impairment. The employers favored disclosure but expected wheelchair users to disclose their impairment earlier than people with mental health conditions. Furthermore, employers with a relational view on disability were found to be more open to hiring disabled people. CONCLUSIONS: The article illustrates how disclosure expectations can represent a significant disability penalty, thus hampering employment advancement for disabled people.A balancing act: The employer perspective on disability disclosure in hiringpublishedVersio

Mental illness stigma and employer evaluation in hiring: Stereotypes, discrimination and the role of experience

Mental illness stigma can constitute a significant barrier to entering employment. Drawing on 20 interviews with Norwegian employers, this article investigates how mental illness stigma affects employer evaluation of jobseekers who disclose a history of mental illness. It also explores how employers use accounts of their previous experience with employees with mental illness in their evaluations. Prior to the interviews, the employers received pairs of fictitious applications in which one of the candidates disclosed a history of mental illness. Thus, the interview data were paired with behavioural data on how the employers responded to mental illness disclosure in a genuine recruitment situation. The analysis reveals common stereotypes of people with mental illness as fragile and unreliable. Furthermore, discriminating and inclusive employers are juxtaposed in their approach to mental health stigma, characterised by either taboo and avoidance or empathetic dialogue. The findings indicate how negative experience is coupled with negative attitudes and behaviour and how positive experience is coupled with positive attitudes and behaviour. A central argument is that experience is something that employers play an active part in constructing by choosing to either engage or not engage in a two-way dialogue with employees struggling with mental illness.The research was conducted as a part of the HIRE project at NOVA—Norwegian Social Research, Oslo Metropolitan University, funded by The Research Council of Norway (grant number 273745).publishedVersio

Gatekeepers of the Labor Market: Employer Considerations of Disabled People and Disability Employment Policy

Disability is associated with considerable labor market disadvantages, as reflected in the large employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people. This gap is persistent, and investments in active labor market policies in recent decades have yielded little improvement. One possible driver of labor market inequality is employers’ recruitment practices regarding disabled people. This thesis explores that factor by critically investigating employer considerations of disabled people and disability employment policy. By exploring employer accounts, the thesis asks two overarching questions: (1) How do employers evaluate disabled jobseekers? and (2) How do employers engage with disability employment policy in ordinary recruitment? The thesis offers a multidisciplinary approach by bringing in perspectives from disability studies and sociology together with a demand-side perspective on labor market integration from social policy. The findings show how economic considerations, in-group favoritism, and norms of normality influence employers’ hiring practices in a way that represents a considerable disadvantage for disabled jobseekers. The empirical foundation is 48 qualitative interviews with Norwegian employers, divided into three data sets. Data sets 1 and 2 consist of 38 interviews with employers who were subjected to a field experiment before the interviews. Employers in data set 1 received a fictitious application from a mobility-impaired candidate, while those in data set 2 received a fictitious application from a candidate who disclosed mental health problems. Data set 3 consists of 10 state employers that have recently been subjected to a hiring quota by an inclusion initiative launched in 2018: the Inclusion Dugnad (inkluderingsdugnaden).1 The empirical material provides insight into the perceptions, attitudes, and practices of hiring managers and HR personnel. The thesis consists of four articles. Articles 1 and 2 both draw on interviews with employers who had been subjected to a field experiment. Before the interviews took place, the employers received two fictitious applications for a real vacancy; one applicant disclosed an impairment. Article 1 uses data set 1 to investigate why employers discriminated against a qualified mobility-impaired candidate by applying the theoretical perspective of the ideal worker. The article shows that the ideal worker against whom disabled people are evaluated is constructed with both a productive and a social component. The main exclusionary mechanism identified for wheelchair-using applicants is related to social considerations about fitting in and being able to take part in the employer’s established social practices. In article 2, which use data sets 1 and 2, disclosure is in focus; the paper examines whether, when, and how employers prefer either mental health problems or a mobility impairment to be disclosed. By employing the theoretical concepts of stigma management and impression management, the article reveals employer expectations regarding self-representation. The findings show how disclosure is a balancing act between appearing candid and competent and meeting expectations to present a positive narrative around disability. Articles 3 and 4 use data set 3 to look at how managers and HR personnel meet regulatory demands to increase the hiring of disabled people. Article 3 investigates behavioral and attitudinal engagement with the Inclusion Dugnad by pairing employer accounts with a document analysis of annual reports from 161 state enterprises. The article shows how the typical state employer seems passive, displaying generally positive attitudes but negative behavior (i.e., not actually hiring disabled people). The article points to important barriers like efficiency demands paired with ableist impressions of disabled people and the lack of applicants who disclose having an impairment. Article 4, co-authored with Janikke S. Vedeler, pairs Norwegian interview material with interviews with 10 employer representatives from the United States. The article presents a cross-national investigation of barriers to regulatory approaches to employer engagement. We discuss commonalities in the struggles to translate regulatory demands, quotas, and anti-discrimination legislation into inclusive hiring practices. We highlight struggles related to the identification and quantification of disabled people that are constrained by the heterogeneity of the disability construct. The findings presented in this thesis have important implications for employers, disabled people, and social policy. For employers, the articles shed light on discriminatory hiring practices and the challenges related to work inclusion that may help them identify and evaluate their own practices. For disabled people, the findings bring to light marginalizing components of recruitment. This knowledge is an important tool in the struggle for employment equality. For social policy, the thesis expands the knowledge of why employers often remain passive about or even dismissive of policies intended to increase hiring rates and diminish discrimination against disabled people. The thesis draws attention to important barriers to making disability employment policy work, such as the logics of the modern labor market, the multifaceted nature of disability itself, ableist stereotypes, and discriminatory evaluation practices. Funksjonshemming er forbundet med betydelig arbeidsmarkedsulemper som særlig kommer til uttrykk i et stort sysselsettingsgap mellom funksjonshemmede og den øvrige befolkningen. Gapet har vedvart i lang tid og de siste tiårenes investeringer i aktiv arbeidsmarkedspolitikk har medført lite bedring. En potensiell viktig faktor som bidrar til sysselsettingsgapet, er arbeidsgiveres rekrutteringspraksiser overfor funksjonshemmede. Denne avhandlingen er en kritisk utforskning av hvordan arbeidsgivere forholder seg til funksjonshemmede arbeidssøkere og sysselsettingspolitikk for funksjonshemmede. De overordnede forskningsspørsmålene er (1) hvordan evaluerer arbeidsgivere funksjonshemmede jobbsøkere? og (2) hvordan engasjerer arbeidsgivere seg i funksjonshemmingspolitikk i ordinær rekruttering? Den gir et tverrfaglig perspektiv ved å koble sammen sosialpolitiske perspektiver på tilbudssiden i arbeidsmarkedet, et sosiologisk perspektiv på marginalisering og diskriminering og et søkelys på barrierer for samfunnsdeltakelse fra funksjonshemmingsstudier. Avhandlingen viser hvordan økonomiske betraktninger, inngruppefavorisering og normalitetsnormer påvirker arbeidsgiveres ansettelsespraksis på en måte som innebærer en betydelig ulempe for funksjonshemmede arbeidssøkere. Det empiriske grunnlaget er 48 kvalitative intervjuer med norske arbeidsgivere, som består av tre datasett. Datasett 1 og 2 er intervjuer med arbeidsgivere som i forkant av intervjuene blitt utsatt for et felteksperiment. I dette felteksperimentet ble de tilsendt to fiktive søknader til en reell stillingsutlysning. I datasett 1 oppga den ene søkeren å sitte i rullestol, mens i datasett 2 oppga den ene søkeren å ha et hull i CV-en på grunn av psykiske helseproblemer. Datasett 3 er 10 intervjuer med statlige arbeidsgivere som er en utpekt som hovedmålgruppe i inkluderingsdugnaden der de var omfattet av en ansettelseskvote i 2018-2022. Datamaterialet gir innsikt i ledere og HR-ansattes oppfatninger, holdninger og praksiser når det gjelder funksjonshemmede jobbsøkere. Avhandlingen består av fire artikler. Artikkel 1 og 2 bruker begge intervjudata fra arbeidsgivere som har blitt utsatt for et felteksperiment. Før intervjuene fant sted mottok arbeidsgiverne to fiktive søknader til en ekte utlysning. En av søkerne oppga å ha en funksjonsnedsettelse. De fiktive søkerne hadde like kvalifikasjoner, kjønn og alder og den eneste forskjellen av betydning var funksjonsnedsettelsen. I artikkel 1, der jeg bruker datasett 1, undersøker jeg hvorfor arbeidsgiverne diskriminerte en kvalifisert funksjonshemmet søker. I artikkelen bruker jeg teoretiske rammeverket den ideelle arbeidstakeren og analyserer vurderinger som arbeidsgiverne la til grunn for sine evalueringer av kandidatene. Artikkelen viser at den ideelle arbeidstakeren som funksjonshemmede vurderes opp mot ikke bare har en produktivitetskomponent, men også en sosial komponent. Den sterkeste ekskluderende mekanismen som ble identifisert i datamaterialet var sosiale vurderinger om det å passe inn og kunne delta i etablerte sosiale praksiser. Artikkel 2 bruker både datasett 1 og 2 til å utforske det å avsløre en funksjonsnedsettelse i en rekrutteringsprosess. Den spør om, når og hvordan arbeidsgivere foretrekker at en søker avslører at de har en bevegelseshemming eller mentale helseproblemer i ansettelsessituasjonen. Ved å bruke de teoretiske rammeverkene stigmastyring og inntrykksstyring viser artikkelen at arbeidsgiverne har visse forventninger til hvordan funksjonshemmede skal presentere seg. Funnene demonstrerer hvordan avsløringen er en balansekunst mellom det å fremstå ærlig og kompetent og hvordan det er fylt med forventinger om å presentere et positivt narrativ rundt funksjonsnedsettelsen. Artikkel 3 og 4 bruker datasett 3, intervjuer med statlige arbeidsgivere, og ser på hvordan ledere og HR-ansatte som er involvert i ansettelsesbeslutninger møter lovpålagte krav som har til hensikt å øke andelen ansettelser av funksjonshemmede. Artikkel 3 undersøker holdninger og atferd i møte med inkluderingsdugnaden ved å koble intervjudata med en dokumentanalyse av 161 statlige årsrapporter. Artikkelen viser at den typiske statlige arbeidsgiveren ser ut til å være passiv, som innebærer at de hadde positive holdninger, men negativ atferd (dvs. ingen ansettelser av personer med funksjonsnedsettelser). Artikkelen peker på barrierer som effektivitetskrav i offentlig sektor, funksjonssjåvinistiske oppfatninger av funksjonshemmede og en mangel på søkere som oppgir å ha en funksjonsnedsettelse. Artikkel 4 er skrevet sammen med Janikke Solstad Vedeler. Her kobles det norske intervjumaterialet i datasett 1 sammen med et intervjumateriale med 11 amerikanske arbeidsgivere. Ved å analysere dette kryssnasjonale materialet finner vi felles faktorer som bidrar til å forhindre at regulative tilnærminger til arbeidsgiverengasjement fungerer etter intensjonen. Vi diskuterer likhetstrekk når det gjelder utfordringer i oversettelsen av politikk til praksis på tvers av de to ulike kontekstene. Vi fremhever hvordan arbeidsgiverne strever med identifisering og kvantifisering av personer med funksjonsnedsettelser i inkluderingsarbeidet, og at dette dels har bakgrunn i kompleksiteten som ligger i funksjonshemmingsbegrepet. Funnene i avhandlingen har implikasjoner både for arbeidsgivere, funksjonshemmede og sosialpolitikk. For arbeidsgivere kan artiklene gi ny innsikt i diskriminerende ansettelsespraksiser og utfordringer relatert til arbeidsinkludering. For funksjonshemmede peker funnene på viktige marginaliserende komponenter i rekruttering, og slik kunnskap er et viktig verktøy i kampen for likestilling i arbeidslivet. For sosialpolitikken utvider avhandlingen kunnskapen om arbeidsgiver som sosialpolitisk aktør ved å vise hvordan arbeidsgiveres holdninger og atferd kan være et vesentlig hinder for arbeidsmarkedsintegrering. Avhandlingen peker på flere viktige barrierer for å få arbeidsmarkedspolitikken til å fungere, som de fundamentale logikkene i det moderne arbeidsmarkedet, kompleksiteten som ligger i fenomenet funksjonshemming, funksjonssjåvinistiske holdninger og diskriminerende evalueringspraksiser.publishedVersio

Leading the Way? State Employers’ Engagement with a Disability Employment Policy

In the literature on labor market integration, there is growing recognition of the importance of employers. This article aims to contribute to this stream of research by investigating state employers’ engagement with a soft employment quota launched alongside a wider initiative in Norway, named the Inclusion Dugnad. An initial document analysis showed that only 3.1% of state employers fulfill the quota at the early stage. Analysis of 10 state employer interviews revealed that they appeared to be mostly passive and, to some degree, dismissive of the Inclusion Dugnad. They relied on passive measures where disabled job seekers are expected to actively seek out the employer and not the other way around. The main obstacles to achieving employer engagement seemed to be the apparent lack of disabled applicants and the reported conflict between the goals of the Inclusion Dugnad and the cost-cutting and productivity standards governing the state employer sector

How Can the Public and Private Sector Work Together to Ensure More Sustainable Farming for Smallholder Farmers? - A Study of Public-Private Partnerships

The future of the world s food systems is at risk, and there is an urgent need to tackle these issues before there are not enough resources to feed the world s population. In order to do so, the public and private sector need to work together, and ensure that all the players in the agricultural sector are included, especially smallholder farmers. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were implemented in 2015, can work as a great motivation for businesses and governments in facing these issues, as they act as a handbook both to ensure that food is sustainably grown, as well as encourage cooperation. If being done properly, public-private partnerships (PPPs) can work as a great method to ensure that farmers, especially in developing countries, gain access to the knowledge, technology, and financial means they need to be more efficient in their farming practices and increase the quality of their products. This study seeks to investigate success factors and limitations of current PPPs in the agriculture sector, which has been done through interviews of partners that were formerly, or are currently, involved in PPP, analysis of texts and documents on the experiences and potential benefits of PPPs has, as well as a SWOT analysis to gain a better understanding of the current state of PPPs as well as understanding the potential for the future. As a result of this, a best practice has been developed, which can work as a guideline for future PPP projects in the sector

Leading the Way? State Employers’ Engagement with a Disability Employment Policy

In the literature on labor market integration, there is growing recognition of the importance of employers. This article aims to contribute to this stream of research by investigating state employers’ engagement with a soft employment quota launched alongside a wider initiative in Norway, named the Inclusion Dugnad. An initial document analysis showed that only 3.1% of state employers fulfill the quota at the early stage. Analysis of 10 state employer interviews revealed that they appeared to be mostly passive and, to some degree, dismissive of the Inclusion Dugnad. They relied on passive measures where disabled job seekers are expected to actively seek out the employer and not the other way around. The main obstacles to achieving employer engagement seemed to be the apparent lack of disabled applicants and the reported conflict between the goals of the Inclusion Dugnad and the cost-cutting and productivity standards governing the state employer sector

Disability Discrimination: Employer Considerations of Disabled Jobseekers in Light of the Ideal Worker

Labour market stratification and discrimination of disabled people remains a less researched topic compared to other minorities despite being a notably disadvantaged group. This article explores the employer side of discrimination against disabled jobseekers by using a field experiment conducted in Norway as its point of departure. Through qualitative follow-up interviews, this article investigates employers’ assessments of equally qualified mobility-impaired candidates in a field experiment. The article employs the theoretical perspective of the ideal worker to shed light on how employers evaluate disabled jobseekers against an able-bodied ideal. Although previous literature on disability and the ideal worker has shown the imperative of asserting productivity, the findings in the current article reveal a stronger emphasis on social considerations as grounds for exclusion. The findings show how tacit constructions of the ideal worker not only relate to productivity but also to the creation of the socially integrated workplace.The research was conducted as a part of the HIRE project at NOVA – Norwegian Social Research, Oslo Metropolitan University, funded by The Research Council of Norway (grant number: 273745).publishedVersio