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Forensic Reports: How Do They Apply to Me?

Forensic reports may seem like a needlessly complicated concept, but in reality, they are actually very simple. Some may believe that a forensic report or forensic reporting will never apply to them. On the contrary, a digital forensic report from a private investigator cyber expert is a key aspect of any cyber investigation. Learn more about how these reports apply to you.

What Are Forensic Reports?

Forensic reports are established after the process of digital forensics has taken place. During the digital forensics process, data from digital systems is extracted and analyzed. Once the evidence has been compiled, it’s presented in the form of a report that provides the owner of these systems with the information that they need to resolve a number of different concerns.

These issues can include criminal cases, litigation, disputes, and cyber crimes. In order to create a forensic report, trained computer forensic analysts engage in electronic discovery. Hard drives, computers, cell phones, systems, networks, and digital components are all examined.

How Do Forensic Reports Apply to Me?

Forensic reports can apply to anyone who is involved in a criminal case. For example, civil fraud cases, complaints from whistle-blowers, or internal investigations.  These reports are important to those who use technology to learn more from the data that is extracted during an investigation.

After a cyber-attack has taken place, forensic reports can provide a sizable amount of data that a typical investigation would not. The company can readily identify the cause and perpetrator of the attack, as well as the impact. Digital evidence is properly safeguarded before it has a chance to become obsolete.

Hacker’s steps are retraced, their tools are uncovered, and if any data is accessed that should not have been, this is addressed in the report as well. How long did the hacker have unauthorized access to the network? This, and the geolocation of the hacker’s login, can be answered.

A wide range of common scenarios take place in these instances, and forensic reports could play an integral role.

• Data Disclosures – if corporate information has been disclosed, either by design or by accident.
• Intellectual Property Theft – when intellectual property is stolen from an employer and passed off to a competitor.
• Security Breaches – forensic reports are used in these instances so that a company can identify what happened and who is responsible. This information could be used for internal purposes or for prosecution.
• White Collar Crime – White-collar crime is a broad term that encompasses many types of nonviolent criminal offenses involving fraud and illegal financial transactions, such as a Ponzi scheme, identity theft, or embezzlement.
• Industrial Espionage – is an illegal activity, and forensics reports help greatly during these investigations. Industrial espionage involves copying and recording confidential documents, including secret formulas, product specifications, or a future business plan.
• Fraud – occurs when misleading or false information is offered to gain an unfair advantage.
• Online Harassment – social media, gaming platforms, email, and cell phones are all prime grounds for online harassment. With a forensics report, it becomes much easier to identify the perpetrator of these crimes.
• Human Resources Investigations – forensic reports will help human resources professionals to identify the source of any potential misbehavior.
• Civil/Criminal Cases – Police will need a forensics report so that they can unearth any necessary evidence in a criminal or civil case.

If you have any reason to believe that any of the aforementioned malfeasances have taken place, be sure to contact our team at Quantum Cyber Security & Investigations, Inc. as soon as possible. We specialize in handling a wide range of common scenarios on your behalf to make things less complicated. Call us today to learn more about how we can help.