20th August 2025

Digital Forensics Round-Up, August 20 2025
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Read the latest digital forensics news – SANS releases DFIR Summit playlist, UAC launches v3.2.0, Neal Ysart discusses the Coalition of Cyber Investigators, and more....

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Wrapping Up The S21 Transcriber Spotlight Session – What We’ve Covered

Wrapping Up The S21 Transcriber Spotlight Session – What We’ve Covered

20th August 2025

Explore S21 Transcriber: a fully offline, court-ready tool with free 30-day access and training....read more

UPCOMING WEBINAR – Retail Under Siege: Fighting Back Against Ransomware With Next-Gen Forensics

UPCOMING WEBINAR – Retail Under Siege: Fighting Back Against Ransomware With Next-Gen Forensics

19th August 2025

Retailers face rising cyber threats—join Exterro's Sept 4 webinar to learn fast, modern forensic response strategies and protect your brand....read more

Digital Forensics Jobs Round-Up, August 18 2025

Digital Forensics Jobs Round-Up, August 18 2025

18th August 2025

Explore a selection of the latest DFIR employment opportunities in this week’s Forensic Focus jobs round-up....read more

The computer detectives

Damon Hacker knows better than anyone else the kind of electronic fingerprints we leave behind on a daily basis. Did you use a computer today? A cell phone? A Blackberry? Swipe a card to enter your workplace? Drive a car?

Data Recovery Planning Being Neglected

According to a new survey by Kroll Ontrack, many companies are neglecting data recovery when formulating their compliance policies and opening themselves up to unnecessary risk. In an e-mail survey of 100 users, the company found that despite 78 percent

Computer forensics in the age of compliance

Digital forensics is the process of using the scientific method to examine digital media in order to establish facts for legal purposes, especially judicial review. It involves the systematic inspection of IT systems, especially data-storage devices, for evidence of a

Digital Docs Raise Compliance Issues

Many tools exist that can help companies manage electronic documents in compliance with court rules…Several technologies, such as e-mail archiving software, can help reduce risk and manage costs associated with e-discovery rules…Another technology that won some support was automated computer

Police deny negligence in CP case

The Chief of Halifax Regional Police and two officers are denying they were negligent in the investigation of a man who was first convicted, and then acquitted, of possessing CP. The defence was filed in Nova Scotia Supreme court on

First Use of RIPA to Demand Encryption Keys in UK

An animal rights activist has been ordered to hand over her encryption keys to the authorities. Section Three of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) came into force at the start in October 2007, seven years after the original

Colossus cracks codes once more

For the first time in more than 60 years a Colossus computer will be cracking codes at Bletchley Park. The Colossus machine will be pitted against modern computer technology that will also be used to decipher and read transmitted messages.

Needle in a haystack

Image-Seeker is a software product for searching and retrieving visual assets when the volume of files is simply too large for an unaided human to handle. To start with, we wanted to simulate how a forensics investigator would use this

Examining Hard Drives During Discovery (US legal issues)

Over-stuffed file cabinets that hold business records and personal information have been replaced by compact computer hard drives that offer easy and convenient storage of and access to a variety of items, including correspondence, forms, memos, photos, account information and

Microsoft steps up work with police

Microsoft has been stepping up its co-operation with law enforcement communities worldwide in an effort to combat electronic crime. The company is to begin working with officers from Europol in the next few weeks and is already training officers at

Plea deal in US ‘spybot’ computer crime case

A hacker from a “botnet underground” group that infected nearly a quarter-million computers with spy software is pleading guilty to criminal charges, US prosecutors said Friday… More (AFP)

UK Government hints at new national computer crime force

The UK Government is considering setting up a new national police unit to tackle computer crime, just two years after the National High Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) was disbanded… More (Out-Law.com)

Why Cops Can’t Catch Cybercriminals

The forensics labs you see on TV might seem pretty high-tech, but in real life, most law enforcement agencies don’t have access to skills and equipment like that, a top federal law enforcement officer noted this morning. Speaking here at

Cops 2.0: law enforcement wants to become better at digital snooping

Many of today’s US police departments have computer forensics teams on hand that can perform digital sleuthing when a case calls for it. For most departments, however, the online realm still isn’t a standard “beat” during an investigation. Lieutenant Charles

Security Bites Podcast: Why online criminals get away

This week Robert Vamosi interviews Dave Merkel, Mandiant’s vice president of products, about how investigators go about finding or (as we’ll soon hear) not finding the people responsible for cybercrime. Merkel is a former agent with the U.S. Air Force

Texas Slams The Door On Unlicensed Computer Investigators

Any firm hiring an unlicensed computer investigator runs the risk of having all information obtained in the process invalidated. Hiring an expert witness to testify in cases involving electronically stored information, computer crimes, misuse of computers, or any other computer