Forensic Focus Forums - Recent Posts https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/ Digital Forensics Discussion Forums en-US Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:14:48 +0000 wpForo 60 After the decrypt: how do you actually triage a network-scale message set? https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/after-the-decrypt-how-do-you-actually-triage-a-network-scale-message-set/#post-6608541 Thu, 03 Sep 2026 17:43:58 +0000 Working on triage methods for large communication sets, I keep coming back to a handoff problem that doesn't get much airtime: the moment cryptographic recovery succeeds and the linguistic problem begins.

A takedown-scale corpus (think EncroChat or Sky ECC proportions) lands as plaintext: hundreds of thousands of messages, a dozen languages, thousands of participants, no single device owner to anchor the analysis. The technical recovery disciplines have done their job. Now someone has to answer the only question the case team actually has: which conversations do we read first?

The reflexive move is keyword search built from the case brief. In my experience it fails in both directions at this scale, too broad and you're handed a hundred thousand hits; too narrow and you miss the case material entirely, because participants have often already adapted their language (codewords drifting into slang, operational-security instructions, deliberate obfuscation — especially post-takedown, when they know the platform is burned).

I've been working on a layered alternative: a source-cited lexicon pass for the first cut, then behavioural/co-occurrence signals to catch the adapted exchanges keywords miss, producing a ranked reading order rather than a binary hit list, with each flag traceable to why it was raised.

But I'm genuinely curious how teams handle this in practice today:

  1. When a decrypted network-scale set lands on your desk, what's your actual first move? Case-brief keyword lists? Sampling? Participant-first prioritisation? Something more structured?
  2. The question that interests me most: if a defence team later asks "why wasn't this thread reviewed earlier?" What does your answer look like? Is there a documented rationale behind your triage order, or does it live in the examiner's head?

Happy to compare notes with anyone working the same problem.

/Andreas

]]> antonsen https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/after-the-decrypt-how-do-you-actually-triage-a-network-scale-message-set/#post-6608541 “The Skills And Resilience To Do One Of The Hardest Jobs In Policing” — Why This DFIR Recruitment Language Gets The Evidence Wrong https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/the-skills-and-resilience-to-do-one-of-the-hardest-jobs-in-policing-why-this-dfir-recruitment-language-gets-the-evidence-wrong-2/#post-6608540 Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:28:42 +0000 Does recruiting for “resilience” risk putting responsibility in the wrong place? Paul Gullon-Scott looks at what the evidence says about digital forensic well-being, workload and organisational support, and why the language we use matters.

Read the full article here: https://www.forensicfocus.com/articles/the-skills-and-resilience-to-do-one-of-the-hardest-jobs-in-policing-why-this-dfir-recruitment-language-gets-the-evidence-wrong/ 

]]> Zoe https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/the-skills-and-resilience-to-do-one-of-the-hardest-jobs-in-policing-why-this-dfir-recruitment-language-gets-the-evidence-wrong-2/#post-6608540 “The Skills And Resilience To Do One Of The Hardest Jobs In Policing” — Why This DFIR Recruitment Language Gets The Evidence Wrong https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/the-skills-and-resilience-to-do-one-of-the-hardest-jobs-in-policing-why-this-dfir-recruitment-language-gets-the-evidence-wrong/#post-6608539 Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:27:54 +0000 Does recruiting for “resilience” risk putting responsibility in the wrong place? Paul Gullon-Scott looks at what the evidence says about digital forensic well-being, workload and organisational support, and why the language we use matters.

Read the full article here: https://www.forensicfocus.com/articles/the-skills-and-resilience-to-do-one-of-the-hardest-jobs-in-policing-why-this-dfir-recruitment-language-gets-the-evidence-wrong/ 

]]> Zoe https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/the-skills-and-resilience-to-do-one-of-the-hardest-jobs-in-policing-why-this-dfir-recruitment-language-gets-the-evidence-wrong/#post-6608539 Walk A Mile In Their Shoes: The Hidden World Of The Digital Forensic Investigator https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes-the-hidden-world-of-the-digital-forensic-investigator/#post-6608534 Thu, 27 Aug 2026 15:15:04 +0000 What happens when disturbing material in a CSAM investigation has to be read, not viewed? Paul Gullon-Scott examines the psychological impact of messages, descriptions and AI prompts on digital forensic investigators.

Read the full article here: https://www.forensicfocus.com/articles/walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes-the-hidden-world-of-the-digital-forensic-investigator/

]]> Zoe https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes-the-hidden-world-of-the-digital-forensic-investigator/#post-6608534 10 Best Practices For AI-Assisted Investigations: A Guide For Legal And Compliance Teams https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/10-best-practices-for-ai-assisted-investigations-a-guide-for-legal-and-compliance-teams/#post-6608532 Mon, 24 Aug 2026 15:29:29 +0000 Cellebrite shares 10 best practices for faster, safer, and more defensible AI-assisted investigations, with a focus on governance, traceability, and human oversight.

Read the full article here: https://www.forensicfocus.com/articles/10-best-practices-for-ai-assisted-investigations-a-guide-for-legal-and-compliance-teams/ 

]]> Zoe https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/10-best-practices-for-ai-assisted-investigations-a-guide-for-legal-and-compliance-teams/#post-6608532 Speed Against The Backlog: What’s Slowing You Down And How To Fix It https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it-4/#post-6608531 Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:41:32 +0000 When every hour counts, imaging speed matters - explore the practical factors that can slow forensic acquisitions and learn how the right hardware, network setup and automation can help tackle growing backlogs.

Read the full article here: https://www.forensicfocus.com/articles/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it/ 

]]> Zoe https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it-4/#post-6608531 Speed Against The Backlog: What’s Slowing You Down And How To Fix It https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it-3/#post-6608530 Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:40:32 +0000 When every hour counts, imaging speed matters - explore the practical factors that can slow forensic acquisitions and learn how the right hardware, network setup and automation can help tackle growing backlogs.

Read the full article here: https://www.forensicfocus.com/articles/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it/ 

]]> Zoe https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it-3/#post-6608530 Speed Against The Backlog: What’s Slowing You Down And How To Fix It https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it-2/#post-6608529 Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:28:33 +0000 When every hour counts, imaging speed matters - explore the practical factors that can slow forensic acquisitions and learn how the right hardware, network setup and automation can help tackle growing backlogs.

Read the full article here: https://www.forensicfocus.com/articles/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it/ 

]]> Zoe https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it-2/#post-6608529 Speed Against The Backlog: What’s Slowing You Down And How To Fix It https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it/#post-6608528 Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:27:10 +0000 When every hour counts, imaging speed matters - explore the practical factors that can slow forensic acquisitions and learn how the right hardware, network setup and automation can help tackle growing backlogs.

Read the full article here: https://www.forensicfocus.com/articles/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it/ 

]]> Zoe https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/speed-against-the-backlog-whats-slowing-you-down-and-how-to-fix-it/#post-6608528 Podcast: Impact, Coping And Support – Further Reflections From The DFIR Well-Being Study https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/podcast-impact-coping-and-support-further-reflections-from-the-dfir-well-being-study/#post-6608526 Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:03:51 +0000 What does repeated exposure to traumatic digital evidence really do to investigators? Phil Anderson returns to the Forensic Focus Podcast to unpack more findings from the international well-being study.

Watch the full episode here: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/impact-coping-and-support-further-reflections-from-the-dfir-well-being-study/ 

]]> Zoe https://www.forensicfocus.com/forums/general/podcast-impact-coping-and-support-further-reflections-from-the-dfir-well-being-study/#post-6608526