This news feed is supplied with permission from the Forensic Focus website.To read more on any news snippet click on its headline.
Annual e-Discovery Demands, Expenses Skyrocket
The good news is companies are becoming increasingly familiar with predictive coding, but the more unsettling news is they are facing up to $20 million in annual e-discovery expenses. According to the third annual study of streamlining and reducing the cost of e-discovery on inside counsel at mostly Fortune 1000 companies, 81% of respondents are familiar with predictive coding to determine whether a document is appropriate to include in a case, states legal industry analyst Ari Kaplan, who conducted the study in tandem with e-discovery provider FTI Technology. Predictive coding is an algorithm that provides the ability to review documents combining artificial intelligence with a lawyer’s input….
(Network Computing)Posted: 22 February 2012
Another Judge Rules Encryption Passphrase not Testimonial Under Fifth Amendment
I previously discussed, on a bar association section blog in 2007 and 2009, the case of In re Boucher, where a U.S. judge for the District of Vermont ruled that requiring a criminal defendant to produce an unencrypted version of his laptop’s hard-drive, which was believed to contain child pornography, did not constitute compelled testimonial communication. The circuit court appeal in Boucher was dropped, but a new case has surfaced in the U.S. Court for the District of Colorado, United States v. Fricosu. There, a bank fraud defendant’s home was searched pursuant to a warrant, and a computer seized which held encrypted files. Further, Defendant provided evidence indicating her ownership computer, that she knew it was encrypted, and that it contained inculpatory evidence…
Posted: 22 February 2012
Interview with Yuri Gubanov, Founder of Belkasoft
Yuri is the founder of Belkasoft, an independent software vendor specializing in computer forensics and system software for the Windows and Mac OS platforms.
Yuri, can you tell us something about your background and who you are?
I have a degree in mathematics and software engineering. I graduated with honors from St-Petersburg State University, Mathematical and Mechanical faculty. This is one of the oldest and best universities in the second largest city in Russia, famous for its white nights in June when you can even read at night being outside…
Posted: 21 February 2012
The Data Specimen is the Blood of Cyber Forensics
At first glance, one would assume that the only common thread that runs between a forensic lab that analyzes blood samples, fingerprints and DNA evidence, and a Cyber forensic lab that analyzes data is that both processes verify the facts that assist in the resolution of a civil or criminal proceeding. However, the basic principles of forensic work pertain to every area of forensic science. In fact, your favorite celebrity charged with a DUI (Driving under the Influence) offense and, perhaps, some of the most nefarious cyber criminals will be prosecuted or vindicated via the very same forensic methods and principles…
Posted: 20 February 2012
AccessData Releases Forensic Toolkit 4
AccessData has announced the release of Forensic Toolkit (FTK) 4. A new feature called ‘Single-Node Enterprise’ gives FTK users the full analysis functionality of AD Enterprise, AccessData’s enterprise-class investigation and incident response solution. “FTK 4 gives our users access to functionality not found in any other product in this class of forensic software,” commented Brian Karney, President and COO of AccessData…
(MarketWatch)Posted: 16 February 2012
Small business helps train cyber investigators across the globe
When the U.S. government wants to help train foreign law enforcement officers on how to extract the hidden secrets of a laptop computer or a cell phone, it often turns to a small company in Mobile. Gus Dimitrelos and a team of digital forensics experts working for him on a contract basis have traveled the globe to run seminars. The forensics training program, directed by the State Department, gives partner nations the equipment that they need and provides the expert instructors. Dimitrelos’ firm, Cyber Forensics 360, is one of the subcontractors…
(al.com)Posted: 15 February 2012
Book review: Cyber Warfare
Cyber-espionage, cyber-war: do we really need to worry about them — and if we do, what can we do about them? Cyber Warfare sets out to answer both questions via a comprehensive survey of the potential threats, the incidents we know about, the tools we could use to detect and protect against attacks, and the legal basis for all of this…
(ZDNet UK)Posted: 14 February 2012
How to break the unbreakable in digital forensics? Wait for tech advancements
One of the challenging aspects of teaching digital forensics is keeping up with rapid technological changes. Those changes, in turn, constantly change the way that Gus Dimitrelos approaches his other job, examining digital information in criminal cases. He pointed to a 2007 case involving a Mobile man whose laptop computer contained password-protected files with an unusual level of security — comparable to systems meant to protect the government’s top secrets…
(al.com)Posted: 14 February 2012
