Army Times

Ellington IT and Forensics was mentioned in the July 11th, 2011 issue of Army Times in the article about martial misconduct between a Sergeant's wife and the Battalion Commander, a Lt. Col.

We were able to extract deleted text messages and other information off of an IPhone that assisted in verifying the accusations.

If you are a service member concerned about or coping with infidelity, by all means contact a lawyer in your area because this isn't something you want to try to handle on your own. Divorce is difficult enough without the added complexities of military life.

Call or email us, or have your attorney contact us to see if there is anything we can do to assist you. We are based in North Carolina and can do direct retrieval of information in NC, VA and SC. We can also have cell phones and hard drives shipped to us for copying and review and then shipped back.

We also work directly with attorneys to help subpoena records from cell phone companies and Internet service providers. We can assist with the language and routing of subpoenas and preservation letters.

Click over to our Facebook page for more information about us, be sure to LIKE the page to keep up with the latest in digital forensics.

Derek

Digital Forensics and Family Law Series

In case you missed it, part One of our series on Digital Forensics and Family Law from On the Record Magazine is available online. Click here to read the PDF. Check back for updates!

Part Two of our series on Digital Forensics and Family Law from On the Record Magazine is also available online. Click here to read the PDF. This part is about Understanding Deleted Files.

Part Three of our series on Digital Forensics and Family Law from The NC Bar Family Law Specialist Newsletter is also available online. Click here to read the PDF. This part is about Keeping Kids Safe Online.

Going overseas with your Iphone?

Recent Court rulings have confirmed the TSA's "right" to inspect and review electronic devices carried by Americans returning from overseas. This means that they can look at your laptop, IPhone, Blackberry etc. They can also review your images, emails and text messages. If you are planning on traveling overseas with these devices there are some options to make sure that your information isn't taken out of context. Backing up and wiping them before you go for example would limit the amount of data that is available for review.

I would recommend that any traveler limit the amount of data that they carry, just to protect themselves from loss or theft. However, in the interest of minimizing the amount of data that would have to be reviewed, pre-cleaning your devices would be in your best interest.

It is also good to remember when traveling outside the country, that different countries have different legal and cultural standards regarding what is acceptable. Err on the side of discretion.

TSA to download your ITUNES?

Being Smart, with your Smartphone.

The biggest growth area we have seen in the last few years both in IT and Forensic have been Smartphones. Not only are we connecting clients to their corporate systems and unchaining them from their desks, we are getting more and more cases where your personal technology is used against you. In this blog post Cameron talks about being smart with your Smartphone. -DE

The onset of smartphones has had both good and bad repercussions in today’s ever growing world of technology. These devices keep us in touch with the world around us in new and innovative ways, and in some cases even make us more productive. So, what happens when your phone is stolen? Even worse, what do you do when your phone becomes your enemy? Today’s smartphones are, in every way, computers that only differ from your PC/Mac in power and features. Be it a Blackberry, iPhone, or Windows Mobile device it has most, if not all, of your personal data. Furthermore, it goes everywhere you go. Would be hackers, and anyone else that can use Google, can find ways to get into your phone and not only get to the data, but also use it to monitor your whereabouts, text and phone calls, and even your conversations in person.

To be fair, the technology and methods of doing so are not new. However, the general public now has easy access to software and hardware that can make your life miserable without you even knowing what’s going on. So, what can you do to protect yourself? First and foremost, be aware of what’s out there. Would be hackers can get in via bluetooth, but more often they will email you a bad link or file that compromises your device when clicked/run. Also, there are software packages that can be installed on your phone to monitor everything about your phone, including GPS position, email and text messages, call logs, record your phone calls, and turn your phone into a microphone for monitoring your conversations.

To protect yourself from your phone during important/sensitive conversations, even if you don’t think it’s compromised, take the battery out during such conversations. Personal and business secrets alike have been leaked through a phone turned microphone, which is not a problem if the phone has no power. The GPS issue is a little more of a gray area. The GPS should be turned off when not in use. This keeps the average person from being able to track your whereabouts. However, higher level institutions such as law enforcement do have the ability to triangulate your position without using GPS. Again, the average person cannot do this, but if you have reason to be seriously concerned then take the battery out. Bluetooth is a wonderful way of universally connecting devices to transfer data and link devices for use with each other. However, few people realize that it is also one way your phone can be hacked. Data can be transferred and software can be loaded via bluetooth.

Bluetooth works in much the same way as Wi-Fi, with devices broadcasting over the air and connecting through the standards for communication. The best thing you can do to protect yourself is configure your device to be non-discoverable. Every bluetooth device has an option, typically labeled “Discoverable”, that can be turned off. Your device can still function via bluetooth with this turned off, but it will not show up on a scan of nearby devices. You will have to connect your phone manually to another device, but it’s a small price to pay to always know what device(s) your phone is connecting itself to. In regards to the spy software, it depends on your phone as to how you address this issue. RIM’s Blackberry is the only device that cannot be remotely compromised. The would be hacker must have physical access to your phone to load this software. Every other device I’ve studied currently CAN install software that is sent via an email or bluetooth. So, if you own a Blackberry make sure you never leave it alone. Also, make sure your device requires a password and never give that password out.

If you own another device, or think your Blackberry has been compromised, how do you catch this if and when it happens? The first thing to do is check the installed software for anything you can’t identify. Research this unknown software via Google (or other accepted search engine) to find out what it is. Also, enable your firewall. This isn’t effective every time, but can help identify questionable or unknown traffic in and out of your phone as it will prompt you when sending or receiving data.

Smartphones, being the little computers that they are, are also susceptible to viruses, malware, and spyware. This issue is just getting going in the real world, but is a growing concern. I have only found one antivirus package as of this writing. I have not tested it, so I cannot speak to it’s reliability. The reviews have been mixed, but expect it to slow your device down a bit as resources are used to run such software. As this problem grows, I expect this to be a growing field for software developers.

The best thing you can do is be diligent in what you click/run on your phone. As an example, the guy in Nigeria with $1M to get into this country isn’t any more legit because you got the email on your phone. You’re never going to get a free camera, TV, or computer because of some random email. These are the same rules that apply to larger computers, so if you own one and it stays clean then your phone should be alright as well. If not, start worrying and learn what you’re doing wrong.

The bottom line is this, your smartphone is a computer. Like the larger “dinosaurs” of the past and phones before that, these devices are capable of being compromised. It is important to understand, at least conceptually if not technically, how this can happen and what you can do to protect yourself. - CS