Blog by Amber Schroader & Guests
Forensic-Impact
Understanding the Risks of AI in Investigations
When data integrity is everything, hooking an AI tool directly into your investigation workflow is a major security gamble especially when dealing with sensitive evidence, login credentials, or PII. As AI becomes a standard feature in forensic tools and other digital...
OSINT and Infidelity with Private Investigations
Guest Blogger: Taylor Weddington Digital footprints are nearly impossible to erase; the art of uncovering infidelity has undergone a profound transformation in 2026. Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) resources such as social media platforms, public records, online...
Why do tools show different results?
Since I started working in the DFIR space many years ago I always remembered the rule of two tools. That rule, although stated, is not always followed by every examiner. With the rising costs of DFIR tools many organizations have only funded one tool for their teams,...
Inside Malicious Office Documents
Guest Blogger: Luca Garofalo Today whether it is at work, in school or any other context we receive documents. They are very usefull they allow us to keep informations in a more organized way thanks to tables, images and text formatting. However some documents can...
If Digital Evidence Could Lie: How Machines Create False Truths
Guest Blogger: Shatakshi Khadke “In the courtroom, machine-generated timelines often speak louder than human doubt.” Digital evidence is presented into court with an invisible badge of authority. A timeline is extracted by a tool, a log generated by a system, or a...
Invisible Intelligence: Navigating the Risks of Unsanctioned AI in Digital Investigations
Shadow AI occurs when employees deploy artificial intelligence applications or services without the explicit knowledge, approval, or oversight of IT and security departments. Similar to using a personal cloud storage account for corporate files, this practice creates...
AI Doesn’t Need a Trust Score
Guest Blogger: Stephen Coston The views expressed are my own and do not represent those of my employer or any affiliated organization.Courts Don’t Regulate Tools. They Regulate Testimony. Every few months, the same question resurfaces in legal and forensic circles:...
Stop Fearing the Algorithm: Why AI Only Threatens Expertise Without Outcomes
Guest Blogger: Donald Wochna I am somewhat bemused by the hyper-sensitivity that the market seems to have for the impact of AI on the practice of law. For example, last week, in response to Anthropic’s Claude announcing a plug in for attorneys, competing Legal...
Oculus Data Artifacts
In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital forensics, the objects of our investigations often move faster than our tools. While the industry is currently focused on the latest "Mixed Reality" headsets, a significant volume of digital evidence still resides on legacy...
Democratizing Threat Intelligence: SME Cyber Defense Strategy Framework.
Guest Blogger: Junaid Arshad Malik Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) networks are in a very precarious state in the existing digital ecosystem. These networks have ceased to be mere small fish to cybercriminals; they are soft...
TCP Traces: How Malicious Traffic Disrupts the Linux Network Stack
Guest Blogger: Fred Peña UrbinaMalicious traffic rarely looks “broken” at a glance, but it often leaves subtle inconsistencies in how the TCP/IP stack behaves. These inconsistencies timing irregularities, retransmission bursts, or unexpected window advertisements,...
Memory Forensics Beyond the Endpoint: Volatile Evidence in Modern Cloud and Edge Environments
Guest Blogger: Aditya Srikar KonduriWhen learning memory forensics, many guides show you how to snapshot RAM from desktops and extract volatile artifacts from familiar endpoints. But step into the world of modern cloud deployments, and “memory acquisition” takes on...
Mastering the Essential Skills of a Digital Investigator
In our increasingly interconnected world, the need for skilled digital investigators has never been greater. From cybercrime to corporate espionage, these digital detectives play a crucial role in uncovering truth and ensuring justice. But what exactly makes a good...
The First Documented Fully Autonomous AI-Driven Cyber-Espionage Campaign
Anthropic released a paper late last week which describes what may be the first known case of a nearly fully autonomous AI-conducted cyber-espionage operation, attributed to a Chinese state-sponsored threat group dubbed GTG-10002. According to the paper, this incident...
Preserving the Past through Digital Forensics
Data can be created, altered, or destroyed in the blink of an eye. This fact gives rise to the single most important principle in digital forensics, a principle so fundamental it is the first thing you are taught when entering the field. Preserve the Data The moment...
DFIR: The Importance of Understanding Types of Evidence When Making Decisions
Guest Blogger: Anthony DourraWhen learning DFIR skills, there are many sources that teach how to use tools to collect evidence and how to maintain a chain of custody to ensure the integrity of evidence. And there are many sources that teach the analysis of evidence....
Why OSINT + DFIR is the Ultimate Power Couple
We are living in a hyper-connected, threat-saturated digital landscape, incident responders and forensic investigators can no longer afford to work in silos where there is no information sharing. As we see more of our individual industries come together to get part of...
The Silent Witness in the Sky: A Deep Dive into Drone Forensics for Criminal Investigations
Guest Blogger: Ankit BhardwajThe proliferation of drones, once a novelty, has ushered in a new era across industries, from logistics and agriculture to cinematography and surveillance. However, this technological leap has a darker side: the increasing exploitation of...
How to Successfully Incorporate AI into Your Business: Best Practices, Challenges, and Real Benefits
Guest Blogger: Lance Cody-ValdezIf you're running a business today, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic option — it's a tactical decision. From automating routine tasks to revealing strategic insights, AI has become a powerful tool that can reshape...
Data Breaches Explained: Biggest Threats, Causes, How to Check, Protect & Fix Your Data
Guest Blogger: Shatabdi MalikIn today’s hyper-connected world, data breaches aren’t rare headlines anymore — they’re daily reality. Over the past year alone, we’ve seen record-shattering leaks that have compromised millions — and in some shocking cases, billions — of...
Unmasking the Digital Penman: An Introduction to Forensic Linguistics
Guest Blogger: Sarah Carlson, Forensic LinguistIn the world of digital forensics, piecing together digital breadcrumbs is critical for understanding events, identifying perpetrators, and building cases. But what if the evidence wasn’t a timestamp or an IP address, but...
Securing Digital Evidence: Best Practices for Small Business Owners
Guest Blogger: Lance Cody-ValdezHandling digital evidence isn’t reserved for massive corporations or courtrooms. Small businesses find themselves managing it more often than they think—through internal audits, security incidents, or customer disputes. But the evidence...
The Unfair Standard: Why We Expect AI to Be Perfect When We’re Not
There was a reference to a forensic expert who was in a courtroom, attempting to make a case for a new method they’d come up with to figure out a vehicle’s speed from dashcam footage. The case was heartbreaking—a father on a homemade motorcycle, killed by a drunk...
How Digital Forensics Fits into Cybersecurity
Digital forensics is an essential pillar of modern cybersecurity. As cyber threats grow in complexity and frequency, organizations rely on digital forensics to investigate, respond to, and learn from security incidents. This specialized field not only uncovers the...
Detection, Analysis, and Interpretation of Fake Base Stations (IMSI Catchers) in Mobile Forensics
Guest Blogger: Haydar Yener ArıcıA crime does not always begin with the sound of a trigger; sometimes it starts with a darkened screen, the silent relocation of a SIM card, or a device unknowingly connecting to the wrong party. Fake base stations (IMSI...
From Solitary Sleuth to Connected Pro: Networking for Introverted Digital Investigators
With June kicking off the event season, this blog topic came to mind. As a natural introvert, events always come with a bit of anxiety for me, so hopefully, these tips will help others too. As I delved into this topic, I found some fantastic resources. Debbie Gardner...
Speaking Their Language: How Investigators Can Connect with Anyone
Guest Blogger: Lance Cody-ValdezIn today’s hyper-digital world, the value that digitally focused professionals and investigators bring to an organization is undeniable. From system upgrades to data security, infrastructure management to agile development, forensic...
iOS Hidden & Locked Apps
iOS updates are always a whirlwind of new features, and iOS 18 is no exception. While the headline-grabbing changes often focus on revamped interfaces and flashy tools, there's a quieter revolution happening beneath the surface: the ability to manage and even hide...
Building Hypervisor-Grade AI Isolation and Forensics on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
Guest Blogger: Stephanie HonoreAs AI workloads become strategic assets and high-value targets, cloud practitioners must implement robust isolation, monitoring, and forensic capabilities. Here’s how to architect, deploy, and monitor AI workloads on OCI using...
OSINT Tool Perspective
Guest Blogger: Nathan BlockOSINT, or Open-Source Intelligence, is a methodological process involving the systematic collection, evaluation, and analysis of publicly accessible information from diverse sources to produce actionable intelligence. Its primary purpose is...
Windows Log Analysis: From Raw Data to Forensic Insights
Guest Blogger: Vamsi Krishna Chinta Understanding raw log locations in Windows and efficiently extracting and structuring them is crucial for forensic investigations and incident response. Eric Zimmerman's tools provide a powerful way to process these logs, making...
Essential Tools Every Small Consulting Business Needs to Grow
Guest Blogger: Lance Cody-Valdez Editor: Amber SchroaderIn the fast-moving world of small business, digital tools are no longer a luxury—they’re a survival kit. This is even more important when you rely on technology for your small business to make money. But...
The Evolution of OSINT: Introducing the New Plessas Digital Knowledge Base
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital forensics and investigation, access to quality OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) tools and methodologies has never been more crucial. Today, we're excited to share a groundbreaking development in the OSINT community that aligns...
How Data Analytics Is Changing the Way Businesses Operate
Guest Blogger: Lance Cody-ValdezData analytics plays a key role in shaping effective strategies within business operations. If you are operating your own business for digital forensic or cyber consulting, the integration of data-focused approaches allows you to...
What is threat hunting?
Guest Blogger: Nizar B.Threat hunting is a proactive approach to cybersecurity where security researchers actively search for signs of malicious activity within an organization's network and systems. Unlike traditional security measures that rely on reactive alerts,...
2024 Digital Forensic Review
As I look back at 2024, there were a lot of shifts in the digital forensic space and the overall digital information arena. It is always hard to stay on top of things that change as often as these areas do, so I really appreciate all the valuable contributions from...
Drone Forensics: Navigating the new frontier of digital evidence
Guest Blogger: Ria GhoshDrones are rapidly becoming part of our daily landscape—used in industries from agriculture to media, and even for personal leisure. As they grow in popularity, they also pose unique challenges for forensic investigators. Drone forensics is an...
Cryptocurrency and the Dark Web: A Guide to Investigation
Guest Blogger: Silvia GonzalezThe emergence of cryptocurrency has revolutionized the financial landscape, introducing new investment opportunities and challenges. While digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum offer a decentralized and secure means of transaction,...
From First Responder to Incident Responder
Digital Privacy: A Computer Crimes Investigator Perspective
Guest Blogger: Jacob SipeIn my years of service with the military, I had the unique opportunity to dive into computer forensics and digital privacy. As a computer forensics analyst and Computer Crime Investigator, I developed my skills in understanding and dissecting...
Become a Digital Forensics Entrepreneur: A Quick Guide
Building a business is like raising a child. You invest time, energy, and love into its growth. After 25 years with Paraben, I'm filled with pride and gratitude to see how far it has come. It's a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, and I'm thrilled...
Critical Infrastructure and IoT Survivability
Guest Blogger: Luther "Chip" (Chip) HarrisThis content represents a particular viewpoint and may not reflect the views of all individualsHere is what is going to affect the current landscape that we deal with in the Integrating the Internet of Things (IoT) into...
Memory Forensics Tools Overview
Guest Blogger: Kokab RasoolMemory forensics is becoming more essential in incident response and threat analysis as new threats and sophistication arise in the changing cybersecurity landscape. Memory forensics, as opposed to traditional approaches that rely on hard...
Unmasking Fake Emails: Essential Techniques for Email Analysis
Guest Blogger: Shatabdi MalikIn today's digital age, emails are a prime target for scammers and cybercriminals. Identifying fake emails is crucial to protect yourself and your organization. Here's a straightforward guide on how to spot suspicious emails and ensure...
TikTok Compliance Data Your New BFF
Haven't heard of TikTok? Then you might have been living under a rock (or maybe just enjoying some serious digital detox!). TikTok is one of the world's most popular social media platforms, where users share short-form, often viral videos, featuring dance challenges,...
OSINT Tools And Techniques for Digital Forensics Nerds
Written by: Stephanie HonoreIntroduction As a professional software engineer with a passion for digital forensics, I often find myself drawn to unraveling the complexities of cyber threats in my spare time. With a background in building eDiscovery software and some...
Phishing Attacks via Social Media
When it comes to cybersecurity, it's common to underestimate the risk of cyber threats infiltrating your home. Yet, the reality is that with children who may not be fully aware of cyber safety measures, it's easy for threats to creep in. Recently, one of my children...
Making an Investigations Sock Puppet
Transcript Hello and welcome to the next edition of, the Forensic Impact blog. I'm Amber Schroader. I have been off the video blog for a hot minute because I have broken my ankle, as you can see by my scooter. This is the best background I can get going right now. So,...
Empowering Small Businesses: The Significance of Data Governance
Guest Blog Post In today's digitally driven world, data is the lifeblood of businesses, regardless of their size. Small businesses, in particular, stand to gain significantly from harnessing the power of data. This article from Paraben Corporation delves into the...
Strengthening Your Career In Digital Investigations
Transcript Hi there, and welcome to another installment of forensic impact. I'm Amber Schroader, and this week I am sharing with you information about strengthening your career in digital investigations. This was a topic conversation that I had with one of the blog...