Jessica, it’s been a few years since we last spoke to you. Bring us up to date with what you’ve been up to!
It has been some time, and great to connect again!
Since we last chatted, I launched Hexordia – which has been great. But I’ve been doing so much more as well. I am heavily involved in two community projects at the moment: namely, as the 1st VP on the International Executive Committee of HTCIA (High Tech Cyber Investigation Association) and as Chair of DFIR Review.
HTCIA really focuses on networking at the chapter level, providing digital forensics practitioners a community to learn with and from and to network. With DFIR Review, we are able to conduct peer review of practitioner generated blogs, lending credibility to the work of examiners who share their work in blog format. It is an honor to volunteer with both organizations.
I am also working on building content for CybHER, a summer camp for girls where myself and another examiner volunteer to teach digital forensics to middle school girls.
So I have been busy with my digital forensics extracurriculars! I also love teaching Mobile Forensics at my alma mater George Mason University in their Digital Forensics MS program. Of course, that is what I have been doing outside of the great work at Hexordia.
Your company, Hexordia, does a number of things in the DFIR space. Tell us more about the products and services you offer.
Thanks for asking. At Hexordia, we focus on Finding Truth in Data – be it through the courses we teach or the digital forensics services we provide in both case work and research.
It is great to be able to continue to do active case work for government entities while also developing cutting edge training content to support digital forensics examiners in a variety of areas from mobile forensics to Internet of Things to diving deep in data structures. In the last year, we have been able to greatly expand our Training Course catalog. In addition to our virtual live and in-person courses on a variety of topics, we do have several free micro courses on our website for folks who are just getting started!
From the services side of the house, we support several government customers in contracts, both where we perform digital forensic analysis and where we conduct cutting edge digital forensics research. I think one of the best things about working in training, services, and research is that the work in each area informs the other and enriches the products we can provide – be it a forensic report, expert testimony, or our forensic courses with hands on labs and a focus on going beyond the find evidence button.
How important is ongoing training and education for digital forensics professionals?
Training and education are absolutely critical for digital forensics professionals. Our landscape is constantly changing with new technologies, applications, and data structures. This means that for an examiner to be able to adapt to these changes, they will need to continue to learn.
Continuing education is also critical for demonstrating to stakeholders – be they jury, judge, counsel, generals or C-suite executives – that we have the knowledge necessary to provide the meaning behind the data.
Tell us more about the CTF challenges Hexordia is involved with.
I am so excited that Hexordia continues to build and create Capture the Flags (CTFs). It provides a variety of opportunities for folks to learn and challenge themselves. We just completed the 2025 Magnet Virtual Summit CTF. CTFs are a great learning opportunity, but also great for accessing test data images. The images can be used for learning but also for testing tools and internal proficiency exams. We share our CTF data sets with the NIST Computer Forensics Reference Data Sets (CFReDS) after each event.
One of the other great things about participating in a CTF is the opportunity to blog how you came to your solutions. I am always impressed by the different solutions folks use. That blog can be a great resume builder, and a great reference for others to learn from the walkthroughs after the event.
How do you see the field of digital forensics evolving over the next few years, and what areas should practitioners be focusing on today to prepare for future challenges?
There are numerous challenges that we will continue to see because of new technologies, devices, operating systems, and applications.
We will encounter the increased use of AI (both by users and examiners), movement of more data to cloud infrastructure, an increase in Internet of Things devices, increased usage of cryptocurrency, and other adaptations of society to our changing technological landscape.
However, I truly believe that the largest challenges will come from policies and legislation as to how we adapt to these challenges.
Your blog often features in our digital forensics news round-ups and is a fantastic resource for the DFIR community. Why is it important for practitioners to share their digital forensics knowledge?
The question is phrased perfectly – as there is so much to do in our field, it is critical that we share. Without collaboration we will never be able to understand the sheer number of artifacts and the nuance! Our field is a constant continual build on the research of others, because of new technologies, applications, and operating systems.
I encourage folks to blog the new things they uncover, share them with thisweekin4n6, and consider submitting those blogs to DFIR Review for peer review.
And finally, what do you enjoy in your spare time?
In my spare time, I like to disconnect to connect! I am a fan of camping and board games with family. The whole idea is to spend my time away from technology – truly away from technology – and instead spend it with friends and family.
