Forensic Focus

Si and Desi interview Emi Polito from Amped about how to become an Amped FIVE Certified Examiner (AFCE). They discuss the exam requirements and format, as well as Amped's future plans. Emi explains that the certification is aimed at demonstrating competency with the Amped FIVE video analysis software after completing training. The exam consists of multiple choice questions on theory and practical...

Si and Desi talk to Gavin Prue and Selim Kang about their non-traditional paths into cybersecurity careers. They share their diverse educational backgrounds, from vocational college courses to returning to school later in life, and the hands-on training that helped prepare them for incident response roles. Gavin and Selim provide advice for aspiring cybersecurity professionals on the importance of...

Si and Desi talk to Eva Galperin, Director of Cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Emma Pickering, Head of Tech and Economic Abuse at Refuge. They discuss the impact of digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) in cases of domestic abuse. They highlight the prevalence of tech-enabled abuse, such as the use of stalkerware, and the need for comprehensive support and safety p...

Si and Desi interview Lee Reiber, CEO of Oxygen Forensics. Lee provides an overview of Oxygen's tools for extracting data from mobile devices, cloud services, and computers to aid digital investigations. He talks about Oxygen's training program that is now included with their software to train examiners to become skilled investigators. Lee also shares insights on overcoming hurdles like encryption...

Join Desi and Si as they chat with Rob Fried, a digital forensics expert, author, and licensed private investigator. In this episode, Rob discusses the upcoming 2023 E-Crime Symposium: Cutting Edge Topics in Digital Forensics, taking place virtually on 31st October 2023. The symposium will feature keynote talks and panel discussions exploring e-crimes and criminal investigations. Topics include Mo...

Ryan joins Si and Desi to discuss his research into SS7 hacking and cell phone tracking. As someone passionate about radio technology, Ryan became interested in cell networking and eventually discovered he could intercept calls and texts by building fake cell towers. He learned that phone users have virtually no ability to opt out of their locations and identifiers being commercially available via...

Si and Desi are joined by Professor Sarah Morris, Digital Forensics Academic and Practitioner, to talk about DFIR at Southampton University, and Sarah's innovative approach to lecturing.  They explore a range of topics, from electronic storage detection using robots, to strength-testing Faraday bags. They also venture into the realm of forensics in unexpected places, like unravelling mysteries hid...

Si is joined by Martino Jerian, CEO and Founder of Amped Software, and Eugene Liscio, 3D Forensic Analyst at ai2-3D. They discuss Martino's recent presentation on video evidence principles to the European Parliament. Martino explains the difference between authenticity and integrity when it comes to video evidence, and explores the often necessary role of editing in producing a more accurate repre...

Si and Desi recap the European Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Conference (EICC) 2023, which hosted a range of talks and discussions on fields related to cybersecurity.  Si highlights some of the talks he found most interesting, including those on the following topics:  Research conducted at the University of Kent on the prevalence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in the DarkWeb, including di...

Si and Desi talk to Ryan Parthemore, Product Evangelist at Cellebrite, and Robert Fried, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Forensics Investigations at Sandline Solutions. They discuss best practices and compliance frameworks to ensure the admissibility of digital evidence at trial. They highlight the foundational principles of repeatability, reproducibility, and justifiability in the field...

Si and Desi talk to Monica Harris, Project Business Manager at Cellebrite, about current eDiscovery challenges. They cover some of the reoccurring pain points customers experience during the integration stage, the difficulties of collecting mobile data for investigations, and the development of legal holds and how they influence digital forensic cases. This episode also touches on the role of mach...

In this episode of the Forensic Focus podcast, Desi and Si discuss different online programming courses and what they think about the popular platform, Udemy. They also talk about Flipper, Dev boards, and Raspberry Pi, and delve into the fascinating phenomenon of running the classic game Doom on unlikely devices. Throughout the episode, Desi and Si share their digital forensics expertise, referenc...

In this episode of the Forensic Focus podcast, Si and Desi talk to Mackenzie Jackson, Developer Advocate at Git Guardian. Mackenzie discusses the problem of hard-coded and leaked credentials in Git repositories, the task of scanning Git repositories for leaked credentials, and how that's helped by the setup of GitHub and Git. He also looks at some public and private cases of security breaches thro...

In this episode of the Forensic Focus podcast, Si and Desi are joined by Marco Fontani from Amped Software. Together, they delve into the world of digital image forensics and discuss the use of Amped Authenticate. Amped Authenticate can be used to uncover the processing history of a digital image, helping to determine whether it can be used as reliable evidence in a court of law. Today's episode l...

In this episode of the Forensic Focus podcast, Si and Desi recap the 18th International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ICCWS). Desi shares his top picks of the best talks, which explore a range of topics, from forensic investigations on Github breaches and blockchain forensics to deepfake technology and network forensics on submarines. They also take a look at LockBit ransomware investi...

In this episode of the Forensic Focus podcast, Si and Desi explore how artificial intelligence is being leveraged to uncover crucial evidence in investigations involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and examine the importance of exercising caution when implementing these tools. They also discuss a recent murder case in which cyber experts played a vital role in securing a conviction, and exp...

In this episode of the Forensic Focus podcast, Si and Desi explore the cutting-edge technology of deepfake videos and image manipulation. In addition to discussing the latest technological developments and efforts being made to detect manipulated media, they also examine the associated legal and ethical implications. Show notes: Boris Johnson image - https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/1...

In this episode, Si and Desi talk to Matt Suiche from Magnet Forensics about the rise of e-crime and info stealers. They look at the latest shifts in how cybercriminals are operating, with a lot of ransomware gangs now moving towards hacking, stealing, extortion and leaking documents, rather than blindly encrypting files.   They also examine the importance of memory forensics in trying to detect a...

Just like your current holiday shopping for last minute presents a lot of the good stuff has gone off the shelves already. You reach to the back and find the toy nobody really wanted but it's the thought that counts, you stare down at Si and Desi's Holiday Special 2022 podcast.  Please join these two as they lament over the year that was, discuss all the things they didn't do but promise they will...

The investigation of child exploitation is a delicate balance between rescuing children, ensuring perpetrators are correctly identified, and safeguarding investigator mental health. This week on the Forensic Focus podcast, Christa and Si are with Cyacomb, talking digital forensics with: Jeffrey Bell, Customer Success Manager; Alan McConnell, Head of Customer Success; and Brandon Gardner, Program M...

As digital forensics decentralizes, shifting more responsibilities from lab to field personnel, tools that can manage the evidence from different user groups are ever more important. In this episode, Christa and Si talk with Andrew Lister, Managing Director at Detego Global, about interoperability between field and lab. They discuss Detego's significant post-pandemic growth, what it is about inter...

This week, Christa and Si talk with Cyacomb's Graham Little and Mike Burridge about the technology it takes to identify child sexual abuse and terrorist imagery, on both devices and the online world. The balance between public safety and privacy is discussed, along with challenges faced by both social media providers preventing imagery from being shared, and law enforcement investigating the perpe...

In this episode, Detective Lee Bieber of the Plantation Florida Police Department and the FBI's Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Task Force in Miami talks with podcast host Christa Miller about his background, the trends he's noticed in criminal use of digital technology, and the artifacts that make up the elements of a statutory crime. Also discussed: putting digital artifacts togeth...

You can't put a price on bants! Friends and enemies welcome as this week Christa, Si, and Desi recap HTCIA and DFRWS. Deep dive into ticket prices and accessibility. Wonder whether there is innovation in the vendor space. Consider running their own virtual Forensic Focus conference in 2023. They briefly touch on neurodiversity, potential guests, and we all get treated to Si's long preamble and and...

This week, Si and Christa talk with James Eichbaum, global training manager at MSAB, about: The technical and procedural challenges that students bring to class that inform R&D and, in turn, training. The importance of training to thorough, forensically sound examinations, as well as to educating managers and other stakeholders on why thoroughness is important. As well, the need and ability for ex...