computer forensic investigation Archives - Page 9 of 10

Mainstream Media is Reporting about Spyware and Computer Forensic Analysis

Oh yes, it is a small world – especially when you connect the dots on the Internet. Bloomberg writer Vernon Silver illuminated what happens when spyware is installed on a person’s computer. It’s done so quickly and almost without notice that the victim doesn’t realize until later that they have become a victim. Computer forensics experts here at have said that the incidence of spyware on computers is indeed rising. In addition to computer forensics investigations delving into files on the computer, our certified computer examiner is being asked to complete digital forensics and forensic computer analysis as spyware detectors and subsequently for spyware removal. The victim in the Bloomberg article was a law student who was a political activist. The spyware was installed on [...]

The Need for Computer Forensics Investigations is Growing

After the hustle bustle of the holiday season, most of us are ready to get back into our regular routines. However, I just read an article by Matt Gephardt at KUTV.com in Utah that there is actually a bump up in computer malware infections after the holidays – up to a 30% increase! That means there are those who are working extra hard right now to get personal information from your computer. The article says that much of this increase is due to people: getting new computers or other electronic gadgets as gifts for the holidays surfing the Internet before installing some sort of anti-virus protection surfing for online bargains in the holiday shopping season. There are ways to ascertain if your computer has been [...]

Computer Forensic Services Illuminate the Truth

According to an article I read recently, the courts in different states have different views on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The case referenced was one in South Carolina in which an employee left the employ of one company but downloaded several proprietary files including pricing terms, pending projects and technical capabilities before leaving. He then took that information to his new employer who promptly was able to win over a major customer with the information. The original employer sued – and lost. According to the article, “the appellate judges agreed that the employer had sued under an inappropriate law – one designed to prosecute hackers committing genuine fraud, not disloyal employees.” Courts in other states from Maine and New Hampshire to Illinois, [...]

Computer Forensics Foils Robbers

Have you heard the complaint that computers are de-personalizing interactions in the world? I do know it is easier to hide an identity behind a computer, but that doesn’t take the human out of the equation, that’s for certain. Nor does it prevent the truth to be revealed through computer forensic investigation and computer forensic analysis. For instance, I just read about two robbery cases in Durham, N.C. that were solved by using computer forensics. The cases centered on the use of Craigslist. The victims responded to an ad on the site and were subsequently robbed. A computer forensics specialist was able to trace all the way back from the ad to the suspects to a physical address. In our experience here at , our [...]

Investigative Techniques Expanding to Include Computer Forensic Analysis and Digital Forensics

Computer forensics is not the only computer-related investigations we complete at . Sometimes a computer forensics specialist works alongside an investigator. With all the social media online these days, employers are using it to find out about the people they are considering adding to their staffs. But it’s not just what can be found on the different social media platforms that are being used. E-mail and website content can be just as revealing and powerful. We were hired by a teacher and her husband to investigate how pictures of them made it into the hands of students and subsequently the school board. She lost her job because of it and she was not quite sure how it happened. Admittedly, she and her husband were involved [...]

Foiled by a Mole, Proven by a Computer Forensics Investigation

Computer forensics investigators are asked to work on a wide variety of cases – from businesses concerned with the release of proprietary information to spouses in the midst of bitter divorce battles. Here at , we find that computer forensics investigations are also becoming a tool in relationship investigations. For instance, we had a case where a wife thought her husband had posted an ad on a dating sight. It was brought to her attention how much the man looked like her husband. The picture was a nude, full body photograph and the face was a profile shot with a hat sort of pulled down over his face. At first she just laughed and when she shared it with him, he denied it. But it [...]

Be Safe, Ask a Computer Forensics Expert When You Need Help

Not too long ago we had a case here at that pointed out how important it is to work with professionals. A woman came to us about her son. He and his wife were in the midst of a bitter divorce and child custody proceeding. Her son had temporary custody and the wife would come to the marital home for visitation. He would leave or go out into the garage or yard while she was there with the children. After one of the visitation sessions, the wife reported to police that she had learned her husband had sexually molested one of the children. In the course of the investigation, the son and his mother figured the police would want his computer to look for pornography [...]

Informed Decisions Begin with Objective Computer Forensics Analysis

Although computer forensics analysis is often used as a spyware detector and for spyware removal, there are many other reasons someone might look for computer forensic services. For instance, one very wet, drippy day a woman knocked on the door here at . She came in and sat down and it was apparent that she would have appeared equally as dreary on a bright sunny day. She explained the conditions in her household. Conditions we have heard before: Verbally abusive husband Husband controls computer usage and locks it with a password only he can access Storage areas, cabinets or closets that are locked and he alone has access Her paycheck is direct deposited into a marital account and he moves a portion of that into [...]

Computer Forensic Analysis Uncovers Facts

One thing about investigation – you uncover truths. They might not be the truths you are looking for or that the client expects, but it’s the truth that comes out in the end. We had a client who asked us to complete a computer forensics examination of her family computer. She was looking for financial information that she felt her husband was keeping from her. He wouldn’t share financial information with her saying she didn’t have to worry about it. But she did. After meeting with her, our computer forensics expert brought the machine into our lab and began the process. The computer forensics specialist did not find any financial information and reported that back to her. However, he also reported what he did find [...]

Computer Forensic Analysts Provide Factual and Objective Data

When computer forensics investigators extract data, it is handled completely objectively. Many times, we don’t know the implications of what is – or is not – found in the data. We compile the information and turn it over to the client. That’s just the way it is with computer forensics analysis. For example, was involved in a computer forensics investigation in regard to an engineering firm. The attorney representing the firm provided us with parameters and lists of words to identify the information they were seeking. Our computer forensics expert extracted the data based on those parameters. Just like procedures in medical or other scientific labs, there is a specific protocol that must occur. First, computer forensics experts follow the modus operandi that make the [...]