CASE STUDIES

Legacy Contacts and Access to Social Media, Online Accounts, Computers & Phones.

Sadly, recent engagements have highlighted the difficulty next of kin experience in attempting to access the accounts and devices of loved ones that have been lost through sickness, suicide, or other tragic, unanticipated events. We are often asked on these occasions to access devices and accounts so that valuable digital content relating to the deceased, family or business matters can be recovered and retained by the family.

Email security: don’t let bandits in the back door

Cloud-based Office 365 has become one of the most common email platforms for small to mid-sized businesses — we see it every day. However, while Office 365 is a great option for businesses that don't want the responsibility of managing in-house email servers, it can also create a significant security risk to the business if it is implemented without appropriate security measures.

Spear Phishing Investigations

Since 2015 we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of businesses being attacked by hackers who have created a domain similar to the victim company's and then masqueraded as a company office bearer to extract money.

Cryptolocker Attacks

Cryptolocker (also known as Ransomware) involves computer systems being compromised by a Trojan file that encrypts all the victim's content and demands payment of a ransom for a decryption key. This type of compromise really tests the business backup process.

Theft of Intellectual Property (Confidential Information)

We constantly have a number of matters on hand that deal with departing employees taking confidential business information as they move to a new employer or set-up as a competitor. Regarded as a 'free kick' or 'step-up' these cases can be very interesting to investigate.

Business Solvency & Administration: Books & Records Preservation

One of the applications of Forensic IT is the capture of “books and records” when an Administrator or Liquidator is appointed over a distressed company. This capture of material ensures that the Administrator has all the available information he needs to investigate the business and recover funds for the creditors.

Falsification of Documents

The authenticity of documents (both electronic and hard copy) can sometimes be called into question in legal disputes.

Transactional Inquiries by Government Regulators

Significant business transactions can sometimes be examined by Government regulators such as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

Australian Government Agencies - Search Warrants

Forensic IT has a history of assisting in the execution of warrants with several different Australian Government agencies. Including field managing, assisting coordination, triage and forensic acquisition of desktop computers, servers and mobile devices.

Employee Fraud

A recurring type of engagement is the theft of substantial amounts of money by long-term, trusted employees. Many of the matters we have investigated include incidents where the CFO was suspected of having embezzled the client's money over many years.