How USB Forensics Can Uncover Illegal Activity

For the past decade, digital forensics has been a hugely prominent force in the fight against illegal activity. Cases can be supported or dismissed on account of evidence gleaned from mobile forensics, computer forensics and cell site analysis. However, cases usually require a device such as a smartphone or laptop to be in the possession of the prosecution – but what if information has been placed onto a computer or copied from a computer, and you don’t have access to the physical hardware used to do so?


The good news is that ICFECI - the best privateinvestigator Dallas has to offer - can uncover the history of every device connected to your computer via USB.


Private investigator Texas: why USB connectivity information matters


In an age of wireless connectivity, you might not think USB device connection history is important. However, proof that a USB device has been connected to your computer in your absence could help support your case. The idea of a connected USB device may seem innocuous enough, but it’s a fact that USB connection history is useful can be useful to determine:


• When sensitive information (such as bank details) have been copied from a computer.
• When illegal files have been copied to or from a computer.
• When a mobile device has been charged via a computer (for example, if a cheating spouse allowed their lover to charge a phone via a USB slot on a laptop).


The above scenarios are just three examples of how people can leave a digital footprint via USB connectivity. As the best private investigator Fort Worth has to offer, we’re able to employ a series of complex digital forensics techniques to identify when devices have been connected to your device and the purpose of the connection of these devices.


How can I tell what USB devices have been connected to my computer?


Computers feature a database known as the registry. This registry is where the core settings of the operating system are stored. Whenever a USB device is inserted into a computer, a key is created within the registry. This registry key contains information about the USB device, and with the right tools and know-how, a private investigator can extract this information.

If you’d like to know more about how our digital forensics services could help you identify when USB devices have been connected to your computer, why not get in touch with the team at ICFECI today. We’ll be happy to discuss your requirements and offer advice on how our service could benefit you.


Blog Resources: https://www.icfeci.com/how-usb-forensics-can-uncover-illegal-activity/

Avoid Health Care Fraud through Digital Investigation?

Today, health care fraud is the headache of an entire world. It's no secret that healthcare fraud accounts for an estimated 100 billion dollars a year in the United States alone, and it's increasingly a reason that health care costs continue to rise. Unnecessary and fraudulent treatments are being submitted to payer organizations by organized crime and con artists have become big business in the world today. Increasingly, health insurance organizations are looking for new ways to detect, investigate and prosecute anyone submitting fraudulent health care claims. Healthcare fraud is a problem in the world, yet gets very little attention in the news media. It is a problem that needs to be solved in order to reduce the cost of health care for all of us. Independent review organizations are playing an increasingly important role in reducing health care fraud by helping fraud special investigative units close fraud investigations and provide important insight into which cases should be paid and which shouldn't.

To serve mankind, health care is a very sensitive issue in all parts of the world. Not only the third world underdeveloped countries, countries like United States of America and the European Union has always been seen in crisis over health care across the past decades, although the advancement in science, research and technology has brought wonders but still the healthcare frauds and health care crimes are increasing in huge numbers. The entire world is facing this problem.

Actually, we don't really need a reform in the healthcare industry but we need an approach to find out the places where a highly developed country can also lack in services of health care. It needs to pick out the health care fraud right from its root, cause can curb the problem in a huge and decided manner.

Health care fraud steals the very essence of human life. The list of examples can create shocking news and generates a sense of hopelessness. So ICFECI health care fraud investigation is needed to overcome the issues. 

10 Things Which Indicate a Health Care Fraud:

•    Medical incidents or medical practices that are not consistent with the standard of care (substandard provision of health care).

•    Unnecessary cost to a healthcare program caused either directly or indirectly.

•    Payment in improper way or payment for services those fail to meet professional standards.

•    Medically unnecessary services

•    Substandard quality of treatment (e.g., in nursing homes)

•    Elaborated Schemes and cover-up strategies and failure to meet insurance coverage requirements.

•    The false statement of services rendered or goods provided.

•    Obtaining false insurance information

•    Unreasonable rates and misrepresentation of value and services regarding health care.

•    Consumer health care fraud. One example is forging family names to provide coverage to friends with the intention of dividing up the reimbursement.

At ICFECI, we, the healthcare fraud examiner, have knowledge and experience in this field and helps in solving the case of the accused. We investigate cases relating to false billing, false insurance claims, false diagnoses, forcing patients to undergo tests or surgery solely for pecuniary gains, and Medicare billing schemes. Get in touch with health care fraud investigation.

Challenges in mobile forensics: how manufacturer security is getting tighter

In 2020, the main challenge for cell phone forensics teams has continued to be encryption. This year, the encryption bundled with Android devices as standard has started to cause issues for computer forensics firms.

While encryption has been around since Android 6, all mid-range Android devices and Samsung smartphones prior to 2019 made use of Full Disk Encryption or FDE. This form of encryption uses a less secure encryption scheme that protects mobile data with “default_password” as the encryption seed key – nothing new for your average purveyor of computer forensics in Dallas to crack.

As of 2020, most new cell phones come with File-Based Encryption (or FBE of short). This newer encryption scheme encrypts files with a key based on the screen lock passcode of the user. While experts in computer forensics in Texas can still prevail when it comes to decrypting data from new smartphones, acquisitions will undoubtedly become significantly more time-consuming and difficult as a result.

Why Android forensics is causing headaches

For those without mobile forensics expertise who need to access encrypted data, Android is causing some serious problems. The smartphone market is saturated with thousands of different low-budget Android models. These models are equipped with all sorts of different chipsets from a variety of manufacturers.

Powerful data acquisition methods, such as EDL extraction, can be used to access a special “safe mode” which exists on most devices for engineering/diagnostic purposes. However, these methods might not be suitable and will depend on individual device settings which could actually enforce enhanced encryption, should the device recognise that its data may be compromised.

Dedicated forensic tools

Ultimately, in 2020 a computer forensics team in Texas will need an arsenal of dedicated forensic tools to access encrypted data. In addition to this, they may employ techniques such as cloud extraction to acquire data.

If you’re in Dallas and have been locked out of a cell phone, or need to access encrypted data for legal purposes, chances are you’ll need access to computer forensics in Texas to achieve the desired result. In 2020, technology has become incredibly complex, and it pays to let the experts do the work for you.

Blog Resource: https://www.icfeci.com/challenges-in-mobile-forensics-how-manufacturer-security-is-getting-tighter/

Certified Cell Phone Examiner by ICFECI

If a crime, civil or criminal, is committed, there is likelihood of a cell phone being involved at some point. ICFECI, with its expertise in cell phone forensics, has the resources, expertise and equipment to extract data and interpret it for the purposes of being used as evidence. For More Details:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAv7ZreYkhQ

6 Types of Digital Forensics That Can Help Solve Your Case

Digital or cyber forensics are changing the way that crimes are solved. In crimes related to a computer or similar electronic device, digital forensics can also be used in a court of law. But it's not only the police force who use digital forensics. If you hire a private investigator in Texas they can help answer your questions using some of the latest technology.

Here are six different types of digital forensics you need to know about it.

Computer forensics

this is the recovery of material and information found on a computing device such as a desktop PC, laptop and any of its internal storage components such as hard drives where information can be collected as evidence.

Mobile device forensics

Similar to computer forensics, this is applied to the storage media used by mobile devices such as phones or tablets – typically via SIM cards or GPS. This can often be crossed over with computer forensics due to the similar approach.

Networking forensics

This is the analysis and retrieval of information over a networking server. This is applicable to locating sources of cyber-attacks and other malicious transferrals over a network that can potentially be collected as evidence for crimes.

Memory forensics

This is the live analysis and recovery of information and data operating on the system’s memory (RAM). This is useful when there is information present in a system’s volatile data that isn’t easily found on storage media.

Video and audio forensics

This is the analysis of digital audio or video recordings. This is carried out to determine legitimacy of the recording to determine whether or not it has been edited or modified – which then determines its potential for use in court.

Image forensics

Similar to video and audio forensics, the metadata of images are analysed in order to determine the legitimacy and locate a source for it.

Stay Away From Health Care Fraud Investigation

Today, health care fraud is the headache of an entire world. It's no secret that healthcare fraud accounts for an estimated 100 billion dollars a year in the United States alone, and it's increasingly a reason that health care costs continue to rise.

How to protect yourself from false forensics

It is commonly understood that once something leaves the closed system of your phone or computer, it is out of your hands. Text messages are saved by providers, blog posts are screenshotted and saved, and calls are logged or recorded. When it comes to technology, nothing is ephemeral.

That said, technology is highly adaptable by nature. Every time we think we have found a way to outsmart it, a new strain of deception appears. Many people are aware of 'deep fakes,' a method of effectively impersonating someone via video editing. Considering how simple it has become to alter someone's face and words, the act of altering text is hardly outside the realm of possibility.

Problems with digital evidence

On top of this, a number of problems prevent law enforcement from accurately assessing digital evidence. This includes the amount of digital evidence (thousands of texts can be sent within the span of a few hours); the difficulty of obtaining original copies of messages (screenshots are easily edited and tech giants are notoriously slow at providing data); and the ease of cherry-picking information from a seemingly endless source (you might have searched for a term tangentially related to the crime five years ago).

False forensics can be particularly damaging in cases that involve fraud and sexual assault. Messages can be erased or edited to appear in someone else's favor, or to hide evidence of misrepresentation. Especially when dealing with law enforcement who might not be trained to deal with digital evidence, a doctored email could sway an entire case against you.

Computer forensics in Dallas

Bearing everything in mind, it is crucial to consider your own technological safety. Computer forensics should be handled by experts, who have a professional understanding of the evidence. ICFECI offers computer forensics in Dallas and computer forensics in Fort Worth with the goal of protecting you from false accusations or mishandling of crucial evidence. Our experts are trained to identify relevant parts of data, in addition to often overlooked warning signs for when messages have been deleted or doctored.

In today's world, it is easier than ever to frame someone using technology. You need to ensure that you are doing everything you can to make technology work in your favor.

Blog Resource: 

https://www.icfeci.com/how-to-protect-yourself-from-false-forensics/