Author Archives: Forensic Focus

Do you want to join the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and help us combat serious economic crime?

We are recruiting for two Analysts and two Investigators to join our Digital Forensics Unit.

The Digital Forensic Unit (DFU) is responsible for the handli… Continue reading Job Vacancies: Digital Forensic Analysts & Investigators – Central London→

Flashpoint, a business intelligence agency specialising in the deep and dark web, recently published a report on the economy of criminal networks online. The report looks not only at where criminals go to communicate on the internet, but also how their communications are structured, and the ways in which online communication has changed the criminal landscape.

Far from the kind of jack-of-all-trades portrayed in TV dramas, today’s cybercriminals structure their operations much like a business, each person having their own specialisms and reporting to the people above them. This helps to ensure that every member of the network takes on tasks that don’t overwhelm them, and often also ensures that the level of communication is kept to a minimum. Each party is only in contact with the level directly above, thus decreasing the likelihood of breaking up the entire network if a single individual’s identity is uncovered by law enforcement.

Read More Continue reading How Do Criminals Communicate Online?→

Oxygen Forensics, a worldwide developer and provider of advanced forensic data examination tools for mobile devices and cloud services, was recently used by a private investigator during a civil case that was the aftermath of a sexting/underage sex case investigation which involved a 16-year-old male and a 14-year-old female.

Private investigator Mark Eskridge, who had over 20 years of law enforcement experience before becoming a professional investigator, had access to the male’s mobile device, but quickly found that the male had deleted conversations with the girl after the circumstances of the relationship was revealed to the girl’s parents. With a competitor’s forensic tool, he discovered that only 4,435 text messages were displayed and available on the device. Eskridge then utilized Oxygen Forensic Detective to analyze the data further on an Apple iPhone 6. Both incoming and outgoing messages were decoded and parsed, and 11,045 total messages were located on the device. Eskridge found that many of the recovered messages were deleted messages which he confirmed by using the built-in SQLite Viewer within Oxygen Forensic Detective. Continue reading Oxygen Forensic Detective Helps Prove Guilt in Underage Sex Civil Case→

MSAB, a global leader in forensic technology for mobile device examination, today announced XAMN Spotlight 2.0, a product designed with the needs of the modern investigator in mind. XAMN Spotlight 2.0 is built for finding and analyzing data faster, mor… Continue reading MSAB Announces XAMN Spotlight 2.0→

Child exploitation investigations often involve luring (also known as grooming): the process by which a child predator gains their victim’s trust. Because this happens a lot over chat apps (and chat features within, for example, gaming apps), you might find yourself reviewing thousands or even millions of messages to find your evidence. When you need to find relevant evidence quickly to move an investigation forward, you don’t necessarily have the time it takes to evaluate these messages individually.

That’s why Magnet Forensics has developed a new way to analyze and classify content using machine learning: Magnet.AI. Found within Magnet AXIOM 1.1, Magnet.AI uses machine learning to narrow massive amounts of content. In its initial offering, Magnet.AI focuses on chat. Its function is to suggest chat conversations that should be examined for child luring.

How Magnet.AI’s contextual content analysis differs from other analytics Continue reading Introducing Magnet.AI: Putting Machine Learning to Work for Forensics→

Now Available – New AI Technology for Chat Classification, Full Disk Encryption Support, and More

Magnet Forensics, a global leader in developing forensic software for smartphone and computer examinations, today launched Magnet AXIOM 1.1, a robust update to its flagship solution that culminates a year’s worth of growth. New industry-first use of AI for chat analysis, enhanced examination tools, fast processing, and AXIOM’s ability to integrate device images from other tools make AXIOM a go-to platform for investigations.

AXIOM is a complete digital investigation platform that brings together the acquisition of data from smartphones and computers, the examination of the evidence data, and the reporting of those findings. In this latest version, AXIOM adds features that will help examiners get to the truth faster and more intuitively. Continue reading Magnet Forensics Releases Magnet AXIOM 1.1 For Powerful Digital Forensics→

by Nadeem Alherbawi*, Zarina Shukur & Rossilawati Sulaiman; Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Data carving is a very important topic in digital investigation and computer forensics. And for that reason r… Continue reading A Survey On Data Carving In Digital Forensics→

Paraben Corporation announces a new certification available to all examiners using E3:DS in their investigations. This certification focuses on the use of the product and is available to license registered user of either the E3:DS or E3: Universal with an active subscription. Users who have a lapsed subscription can either bring their subscription current or pay a small fee for the certification. The DSMO is also available for students enrolled in a University, College or higher education that is teaching E3.

“Knowing how to properly use the software to its full capabilities is the first step in the qualifications for any investigator. The DMSO gives them the practical knowledge need to navigate through mobile data associated with an investigation. Whether you are a seasoned investigator or a student in the field this certification is the first step in your process of enhancing your skills in mobile forensics.” stated CEO Amber Schroader Continue reading DSMO Certifications Are Now Available For Paraben’s Mobile Forensic Tools→

Abdeslam, tell us a bit about the initiative AccessData has recently launched.

We’ve planned a series of international roadshows to share the details of our latest software release, AccessData 6.2, which helps users improve productivity and reduce backlog, leading to faster investigative results.

Our customers continue to face challenges in their work – data sets are getting larger, deadlines for collecting, analyzing and processing data in cases are tighter and tighter. New forms of data are constantly emerging as the result of the Internet of Things (IoT), new devices that rapidly produce data as well as new data repositories – like the cloud. All of these are impacting the ability to conduct investigations more efficiently and effectively and to identify the relevant data to prove their cases.

Read More Continue reading Interview With Abdeslam Afras, VP Of International Markets, AccessData→

Fully integrated forensic examinations of encrypted drives with a known password will soon be possible in AXIOM

Magnet Forensics, a global leader in developing forensic software for smartphone and computer examinations, and Passware, a world leader in password recovery, decryption, and electronic evidence discovery software, today announced they are working together to provide Magnet AXIOM customers the ability to analyze content from drives that use leading encryption software.*

Magnet AXIOM, a complete digital investigations platform for forensics professionals, will soon seamlessly integrate Passware support for full disk decryption with a known password for BitLocker, TrueCrypt, or PGP Desktop encrypted devices.

“The number of devices involved in criminal activity continues to grow, as does the potential for devices to run encryption software. At Magnet Forensics, we are committed to listening to our customers and meeting their needs, and our customers asked for the ability to decrypt drives within Magnet AXIOM,” said Jad Saliba, Founder and CTO at Magnet Forensics. “We are integrating Passware technology into AXIOM to ensure that our customers have access to the best decryption technology when they use AXIOM as part of their investigations.” Continue reading Magnet Forensics And Passware Partner To Provide Full Disk Decryption In AXIOM→