In this digital age, it isn’t just the dissolution of marriage, it’s the digital aspect of divorce that can become a problem. Some couples are looking for clues of infidelity, Intimate Partner Surveillance, abuse by cyberstalking or even going as far as committing a identify theft is cybercrime.
The day a couple gets married should be the happiest day of their lives. In an ideal world, that couple moves from blissful newlyweds to new parents to a home fit for a family, complete with pet and minivan. This ideal isn’t always the case, unfortunately. Everyday life starts to take its toll. That person isn’t the same as the one who got married.
Infidelity, abuse, or just growing too far apart to come back together will lead many couples into divorce court. And while the division of assets might become contentious, the unseen world of divorce can be far more damaging. Many digital forensics companies have had the unfortunate task of finding evidence that one part of the estranged couple is committing a cybercrime.
A messy divorce will often have a messy digital component.
Frequently, a vengeful partner will resort to a form cyberstalking called Intimate Partner Surveillance to keep tabs on their “other half.” Apps and spyware are easy to install and cheap to purchase, making them attractive options to dig up dirt on the separated husband or wife.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics noted that 1.5% of the people polled were victims of stalking and a significantly higher 3.3% of divorced or separated individuals were also victims.
The dissolution of marriage can lead one (or both) partners to resort to illegal digital activities.
In an effort to try and control the other and make their lives miserable. In some extreme cases, one partner will even resort to identity theft to try and “get back” at the other partner for the divorce. Getting in touch with a credit monitoring company and changing account information should be the first step when filing for divorce to protect both parties.
While no one can stop people from making bad decisions, having the right support during a messy divorce can protect the victim.
Having a lawyer that works with forensic data recovery services will help in building a case against the offending partner and their digital crimes. Cell phone malware analysis, in particular, will find any spyware apps and help stop the insanity caused by a messy divorce in the cyber age.
Into the Deep Dark Web – Digital Forensics can find the hidden crime
The internet makes everything so much easier. Shopping, business, connecting with friends and entertainment are all brought to us compliments of the world wide web.
What started out as ARPANET in the early days of 1983 has grown exponentially to a virtual system moving bits of information among over three billion users worldwide.
As there are never-ending applications for good with the internet, there is also a never-ending list of digital crime available. Nowhere is that more apparent than on the dark web.
Most people don’t know about the dark web and for good reason. There is a lot of bad that goes on there. But a little information can help dispel any myths and protect internet users from future dark web computer crime.
The internet is actually made up of layers:
* The surface web: Everything users do online; search engines, shopping, social media, etc.
* The Deep Web (or the invisible web): all non-search engine indexed information. Data like emails, banking websites and other pages inaccessible to search engine crawlers.
* The Dark Web: The dark underbelly of the internet, inaccessible to mainstream web browsers, this is a popular destination for all things that need to remain unseen or unreported.
So, if the dark web isn’t easy to access, why is it so popular among criminals? The short answer, anonymity. The dark web allows users to keep their identity hidden while dealing in illegal goods and services, setting up arrangements and communicating. Thus, the appeal to criminal world.
For all the illicit activity on the dark web, there is a type of silver lining. Political activists, journalists and people from countries that restrict information and internet activity use the dark web to access social media or news sites. The dark web becomes their digital life-line to get information or inform the rest of the world about the events in their countries.
For most of us, the dark web is simply a scary bedtime story that has little to do with our daily lives. The reality is, it’s a breeding ground for criminal activity.
With the ever-expanding world of cyber bad guys comes the need for computer forensic services that can protect those who have been affected by criminal activity disguised on the dark web.
Our Digital Behavior – From A Computer Forensic Investigator Perspective
The digital world is taking over and for many, this is a good thing. Shopping, shipping, communicating and sharing ideas or messages has never been easier or faster.
In fact, the average adult spends around twenty hours online per week.
Yes, the digital world is really taking over. But with every good advancement in technology, there will always be a way to exploit it for less than ideal purposes.
Cyberspace is only limited by storage capacity which can be updated at any time. It’s no wonder those seeking to hide illicit information or seeking to do harm turn to the ever-expanding digital horizon to serve their purposes.
Many times, a person’s activities online can determine a criminal act has or will take place. In these cases, a computer forensic investigator is needed to investigate and determine user patterns and characteristics.
Why is digital forensics important?
Every criminal—past, present or future–who stores any amount of information online leaves a trail. More often than not, these criminals or pre-criminals are good at hiding their cyber tracks. If there is nothing to follow, crimes can be committed without any chance to stop the crime or the offender.
Developing a digital behavior analysis will help law enforcement pinpoint persons of interest, criminal activity and hopefully stop future crimes. This is a specialty handled by a digital forensics investigator.
Where would a digital behavior analysis be used?
A digital behavior analysis can be used in a multitude of ways to further legal cases. For instance, if a business is suspicious of a former employee, maybe one who was fired for unsavory activities, holds a grudge against their former employee and has made threats, a computer forensic investigator can be utilized to perform a behavior analysis to see if this person is a true threat. In the case of a crime that has been committed, when the evidence is short, a digital behavioral analysis is performed to not only find hidden or abnormal digital behavioral patterns, but to determine if the alleged perpetrator should be further prosecuted.
While most of online activity are normal patterns of life and conducive to a productive business day, there will always be those who will use technology to further their own illegal agendas.
With the help of digital forensic experts, these individuals can be found, brought to justice or stopped before a crime has been committed.
No one gets married with the hopes of an amicable divorce in the future. We go into marriage with love and expectations of a forever companionship.
Since this is an imperfect world and we are imperfect people, divorce is sometimes the end result of a once happy union. After years of marriage wealth and possessions can be easily divided, but when it comes to children, that division becomes complicated.
Many times, a child custody battle can be won not just by who is the fittest parent, but by what kind of cyber footprint they have.
A cyber footprint is basically everything a person does online.
Though easy to erase from your view, digital footprints are not beyond reach when searched for by professionals. Call logs, social media posts, downloads, and correspondence is all useable in court if it is collected by the right digital forensics professionals.
When deciding who is the best custodial parent, an in-depth digital footprint will be created, reviewed by computer forensics experts, and critiqued by the courts.
Things like:
· Abusive comments via social media
· Adultery
· High-risk digital behaviors
· Hacking
· Cyber-stalking
· Child endangerment and/or abuse
· Financial dishonesty
· Lies and deceit
· Lewd or illegal activities
..can all be collected and presented to the court. Damaging cyber information can do a great deal to sway a judge. While each parent is trying to show their best, if their digital footprint doesn’t match their real-life persona, a more in-depth investigation is in order.
Here’s some advice…
For individuals:
If facing a custody battle, keep your digital footprint clean. Refrain from any online activities that can be used against you. For example, no matter how bad you may want to rant on social media platforms, log out and walk away. It’s not worth losing a custody case just to air grievances.
The best thing a lawyer can do is find a quality digital forensics company that specializes computer forensics and identifying the indicators of abnormal digital behaviors.
Finding online information can be tricky, and cyber professionals can find the information to help your client build a case in their favor.
In the end, the only thing that matters is the child’s best interest. In order to protect that interest, keep your footprint clean and seek the right help.
Digital [dij-i-tl]: pertaining to, noting, or making use of computers and computerized technologies, including the Internet.
Forensic: [fə’renzik]: scientific tests or techniques used in connection with the detection of crime.
The technology explosion that has flooded the world with digital ease has also created some less than ideal circumstances.
Trying to protect a company or self from cyber-attack is only part of the solution for safe IT infrastructure. Now, people can make their past disappear with the few keystrokes, or that vital file can vanish with a mouse click or two. The world of ones and zeros plays such a vital part in daily life but can also be used to wreak havoc and hide truths. As the world of technology has grown, a new breed of investigation and protection is needed to not only watch-over but un-earth digital life.
This is what Guardian Forensics was made for.
Guardian Forensics specializes in digital forensics investigations, or, threat hunting to identifying and eliminating threats to IT infrastructure. Malware, viruses, ransomware–any malicious data that can attack a business’ technology is found, isolated and eliminated.
But this isn’t the only thing we do. We also specialize in Unlocking the Truth.
When it comes to litigation, digital information plays a key role in the outcome of many cases. Lawsuits can become tricky and difficult to navigate when individuals or businesses are able to hide vital information from the courts. Crimes go unpunished and justice un-satisfied when information is hidden or conveniently “missing.” Guardian Forensics specializes in finding hidden digital facts to ensure that every person and business has a fair day in court and that wrongs are righted.
Based in Oklahoma and Arkansas, Guardian Forensics serves nation-wide clients, preserving IT infrastructure and preserving the digital facts necessary to aid in legal proceedings. No matter the file, the information, the reason, we have the ability and the expertise to find the hidden truth and bring it to light.
The ever-widening world of cyberspace creates a danger to infrastructure and endless virtual hiding spaces for information that needs to be conveniently lost. While there will always be ways to hide information or create a digital risk, Guardian Forensics will always be there to find it and fight it.
Guardian Forensics is on the cutting edge when it comes to keeping data safe, we have a very informative email list that keeps you aware of news, trends and important information. Sign up here if you want to be on that list.
