Forensic Focus

In this episode of the Forensic Focus podcast, Si and Desi explore the cutting-edge technology of deepfake videos and image manipulation. In addition to discussing the latest technological developments and efforts being made to detect manipulated media, they also examine the associated legal and ethical implications.

Show notes:

Boris Johnson image - https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/10/spot-the-difference-boris-johnso...

In this episode, Si and Desi talk to Matt Suiche from Magnet Forensics about the rise of e-crime and info stealers.

They look at the latest shifts in how cybercriminals are operating, with a lot of ransomware gangs now moving towards hacking, stealing, extortion and leaking documents, rather than blindly encrypting files.  

They also examine the importance of memory forensics in trying to detect active threats within a network, and...

Just like your current holiday shopping for last minute presents a lot of the good stuff has gone off the shelves already. You reach to the back and find the toy nobody really wanted but it’s the thought that counts, you stare down at Si and Desi’s Holiday Special 2022 podcast. 

Please join these two as they lament over the year that was, discuss all the things ...

As digital forensics decentralizes, shifting more responsibilities from lab to field personnel, tools that can manage the evidence from different user groups are ever more important. In this episode, Christa and Si talk with Andrew Lister, Managing Director at Detego Global, about interoperability between field and lab. They discuss Detego’s significant post-pandemic growth, what it is about interoperable frontline and lab tools th...

This week, Christa and Si talk with Cyacomb's Graham Little and Mike Burridge about the technology it takes to identify child sexual abuse and terrorist imagery, on both devices and the online world. The balance between public safety and privacy is discussed, along with challenges faced by both social media providers preventing imagery from being shared, and law enforcement investigating the perpetrators. Also described: technologi...

In this episode, Detective Lee Bieber of the Plantation Florida Police Department and the FBI's Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Task Force in Miami talks with podcast host Christa Miller about his background, the trends he's noticed in criminal use of digital technology, and the artifacts that make up the elements of a statutory crime. Also discussed: putting digital artifacts together into a picture using various for...

You can’t put a price on bants! Friends and enemies welcome as this week Christa, Si, and Desi recap HTCIA and DFRWS. Deep dive into ticket prices and accessibility. Wonder whether there is innovation in the vendor space. Consider running their own virtual Forensic Focus conference in 2023. They briefly touch on neurodiversity, potential guests, and we all get treated to Si’s long preamble and and slightly shorter outro.

Show Notes...

This week, Si and Christa talk with James Eichbaum, global training manager at MSAB, about:

• The technical and procedural challenges that students bring to class that inform R&D and, in turn, training.
• The importance of training to thorough, forensically sound examinations, as well as to educating managers and other stakeholders on why thoroughness is important.
• As well, the need and ability for examiners to be able to articula...

In this episode, Desi and Si talk with Alex Tilley, who's part of the counter threat unit at Secureworks, as a followup to Alex's presentation on the history of financial cybercrime.

Show Notes:

The business club writeup from 00:18:25
https://www.secureworks.com/research/evolution-of-the-gold-evergreen-threat-group

Fast-flux and round robin DNS

Anti-money laundering legislation
https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/other-legislation/anti...

In this episode, Steve Slater, Head of Digital Forensics at Devon and Cornwall Police in the United Kingdom, gives Christa and Si an overview of implementation the new Rape and Serious Sexual Offence protocol:

• How digital forensics technology supplements a victim-centred, team approach
• Differences between victim and suspect acquisition processes
• What goes into balancing victim care with a forensically sound data collection
• How...

Following on their "unsupervised" discussion, this week Si and Desi focus on training and certification, including:

• Steps and missteps in commercial and government efforts to close the cyber skills gap through training and professional development
• The value of perspectives from different fields to digital forensics and incident response
• The shortcomings of certifications as measures of proficiency, and the need to teach a foun...

In this episode, Si and Christa talk with Martino Jerian, founder and CEO of Amped Software, about:

• Some of the misunderstandings around digital video and image evidence and how this can affect justice proceedings
• Technical challenges associated with evidentiary integrity and authenticity of data which is based on complex mathematics
• The need for better trained, qualified analysts in multiple dimensions of multimedia forensics...

In this episode recorded in July, Si and Desi take advantage of Christa's absence to pepper up their speech (but only just a bit). Content warnings aside, this week their free-form conversation discusses:

• Public speaking, whether giving evidence on the stand, presenting to stakeholders following an incident response, or delivering training materials
• The relative benefits of unscripted interactions vs. scripted material, depend...

Si and Christa talk with Pablo Lopez Aguilar-Beltran about Project LOCARD, its purpose, and how it all go started, including:

• Why blockchain could be the foundation for improving international cooperation while maintaining compliance with privacy and other legal requirements
• Challenges associated with standardizing any platform across borders, as well as fostering implementation and participation
• The need for better digital ev...

In this episode, co-hosts Desi, Si, and Christa compare and contrast the concerns and pressures of the DFIR world vs. other industries. Starting with burnout as a function of increases in both cyber incidents and online crime, we also discuss:

- The risks of backfilling gaps in cyber without computer science fundamentals.
- More work and fewer resources leading to backlogs, which factor in burnout and resignations as well as action...

In this episode, Desi, Si, and Christa talk with Dr. Sorell about health data as a source of evidence in criminal investigations, as well as a sneak peek of what to expect at Sorell's student-led workshop and Rodeo competition at the upcoming DFRWS-APAC conference. Some of the technical vagaries, including GPS, time zone, and Apple updates, that can affect both investigations and workshop planning are discussed, along with the impo...

In this episode, University College Dublin's Prof. Liliana Pasquale, program director for the new Master of Science in Cybersecurity, talks with Christa Miller about how the program came to be, some of the modules and the way they're structured, and what makes this program stand out from others. Also discussed is the need for a balance between academic research and practitioner perspectives, how "soft" skills lay a foundation for m...

Kyle Campbell, Vice-President of Litigation Support at Frontline Managed Services, joins Christa Miller to talk through the breakdown of silos between digital forensics, e-discovery, and incident response, and the continued increases in complexity and interconnectivity of data sources as well as the impact of data privacy laws and evolving case law on preservation and collection. To collaboratively solve problems and add value and ...