A round-up of this week’s digital forensics news and views:
Digital Forensics Crisis Overwhelms UK Police Forces
UK police forces face a mounting crisis in digital forensics as backlogs of seized devices grow and staff shortages worsen across the country. Freedom of information requests reveal stark disparities, with some forces having devices waiting over two years for analysis while others clear backlogs within a month. Digital forensics investigators report being overworked and under-supported, leading to high vacancy rates and cases being dropped due to missing evidence.
Read more (computerweekly.com)
Testing AI Against Human Digital Forensic Investigators
A new episode from 13Cubed examines whether AI can replace digital forensic investigators by testing a local instance of DeepSeek-R1 against human expertise in Windows forensics. The investigation compares how AI performs in handling digital forensic work compared to experienced human investigators. The epsiode explores this comparison to determine if artificial intelligence can effectively handle the complex tasks typically performed by forensic professionals.
Former Police Officer Launches Mental Health Support for Digital Investigators
Hannah Bailey, founder of Blue Light Wellbeing and former police officer turned trauma therapist, specializes in supporting the mental health of law enforcement and digital forensics professionals. Bailey explains that digital investigators face trauma levels potentially higher than frontline responders due to the detail and clarity of digital evidence they examine. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing early warning signs like poor sleep, emotional regulation issues, and “brain fog,” while advocating for proper check-ins and professional support systems.
Jersey Police Launch Digital Evidence Platform Trial
Jersey States Police have begun a year-long trial of the Kulpa app, a secure digital evidence platform that allows victims and witnesses to upload photos, videos, chat logs and other files directly to officers. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hafey describes the technology as a major advancement that will help speed up investigations and improve outcomes in complex cases, particularly violence against women and girls. Developed by Jersey-based firm Kulpa Platforms and supported by Digital Jersey, the app has been independently certified to ensure evidence remains legally admissible in court.
Read more (jerseyeveningpost.com)
Google Pixel 10’s C2PA Implementation Enables Undetectable Image Forgeries
Google’s Pixel 10 smartphone includes built-in C2PA Content Credentials authentication that fails to protect critical metadata, allowing easy forgeries that pass cryptographic verification. Neal Krawetz demonstrates how the device’s digital signatures exclude EXIF data, timestamps, and camera settings from protection, making it impossible to distinguish authentic photos from altered ones. Google’s implementation also raises privacy concerns by requiring network requests to Google’s servers for every photo taken, potentially enabling user tracking.
Police Scotland Partners With Abertay University to Combat Deepfakes and Cybercrime
Police Scotland launches a strategic partnership with Abertay University’s cyberQuarter to strengthen national cyber resilience and improve detection of online fraud. Researchers will receive two PhD scholarships to develop cybercrime functions, with one focusing on distinguishing AI-generated deepfakes from genuine media and another examining digital forensics interviewing techniques. Assistant chief constable Stuart Houston says the collaboration will enhance cyber training and investigatory capabilities through the newly-established Cyber and Fraud Unit.
Malaysia Launches First Vehicle Forensics Laboratory
CyberSecurity Malaysia establishes the country’s first Vehicle Forensics Laboratory to strengthen national digital forensic capabilities in handling vehicle-related incidents. Modern vehicles generate vast amounts of data through interconnected systems, including engine performance logs, GPS locations, driving patterns, and camera recordings. Forensic analyses will only be conducted following official requests from recognized enforcement agencies such as the Royal Malaysia Police and Road Transport Department. Malaysia Book of Records has recognized this facility as the nation’s first vehicle forensics laboratory.
World’s Largest Sports Piracy Site Streameast Shut Down by Police
Police in Egypt shut down Streameast, the world’s biggest illegal sports streaming site, following a coordinated operation with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment. Liv McMahon reports that the site received over 1.6 billion visits in the past year, allowing millions to access pirated streams of Premier League football, Formula One races, and Major League Baseball games. Two men were arrested near Cairo on suspicion of copyright infringement, with authorities seizing laptops, smartphones, cash, and cryptocurrency worth £150,000. Police also uncovered links to a UAE shell company allegedly used to launder £4.9 million in advertising revenue since 2010.
Digital Forensics Expert Launches Comprehensive Guide to RealmDB Analysis
Damien Attoe introduces a new blog series called “The Realm Files” to help digital forensics examiners understand the physical structure of RealmDB, an object-oriented database used in mobile applications. RealmDB differs significantly from traditional SQLite databases by storing data as native objects rather than relational tables, making it more challenging to analyze forensically. Attoe plans to use the iOS AI companion app Replika as a case study throughout the series, as it relies heavily on RealmDB for storing user interactions rather than SQLite.
