As computer and mobile phone technology grows more and more complex, and becomes a bigger part of our daily lives, the need for computer forensics and investigations is growing. Here at CCL Forensics our services in these matters have been used in cases involving crimes of almost every kind imaginable. From fraud, theft and drug abuse to harassment and terrorism, we’ve been instrumental in the administration of justice. But regardless of whether a defendant is guilty or innocent, we remain committed to the impartiality, quality, depth and efficiency of our computer forensics analyses.

If you’re involved in an investigation, have suspicions regarding the misuse of some form of digital data or device, or simply want to retrieve lost data, CCL can help. We’ve assisted in countless police investigations from around the country, including some high profile cases. This means that we’ve proven our skills and trustworthiness in the industry and pride ourselves on being able to recover forensic evidence for important investigations.

In any investigation, the key to success is to be comprehensive and thorough. If your suspicions about an employee or concerns regarding legal issues remain unresolved, computer forensics from CCL could be the unexplored avenue that leads to a breakthrough. Perhaps some new technology has come to light?

If this is the case, our experienced team can be trusted to find any sensitive data present. We offer ISO accredited operating processes which have been successful in many thousands of cases and counting.

Here at CCL we’re also regularly audited and our constant communication with law enforcement agencies helps ensure that all of our evidence stands up fully in court. For any level of computer forensics investigation across the country involving any digital computer equipment (including phones, cameras, hard drives, servers etc) get in touch this summer.

In the past few decades, the ability to view, transfer and store huge amounts of data virtually instantaneously has revolutionised the way in which humanity operates. The internet is a seemingly bottomless resource of information, and would take over 57,000 years to go through if printed off and read none stop! With so much data belonging to different people, it’s absolutely crucial that computer forensics experts like CCL Forensics adhere to accepted guidelines regarding how this information is handled. The Association of Chief Police Officers issues a set of standards which inform everything that our specialist team should do.

As crime is an unfortunate inextricable facet of human life, the technological revolution has also led to changes in the nature of the evidence used to bring criminals to justice. It’s important for our specialists to conduct themselves in a sound forensic manner so that the sensitive digital evidence collected will stand up to scrutiny in a court of law.

The ACPO digital evidence guidelines state that any persons dealing with sensitive data must be competent enough to do so. Here at CCL Forensics, we subject our analysts to a thorough vetting and testing process before hiring them, and coupled with our ongoing intensive training programs and regular competency reviews, these measures ensure staff are capable of retrieving data lawfully and within the ACPO guidelines.

The guidelines also demand an audit trail or associated record of every process to which the computer or similar device is subjected to in order to retrieve data, including full details of the techniques used to examine extracted data itself.

At CCL Forensics, we provide comprehensive records of all work undertaken to preserve the integrity of information as evidence, and these records are also useful for explaining to clients the work we’ve undertaken on their behalf. For thoroughly regulated computer forensics services, CCL Forensics can help in this, an increasingly digitised age.

This article is not affiliated to, nor endorsed by ACPO.

CCL-Forensics, the UK’s leading supplier of digital forensics providers has reinforced its commitment to cell site analysis services by recruiting two highly respected experts in this complex field.  In addition to its computer expert witness and mobile phone forensic services, CCL-Forensics is now complementing these services with a full-service cell site (mobile phone movement mapping) function.

Steve Benjamin and Greg Robinson join the company in March, and bring with them almost sixty years of experience in both the field of policing and radio/phone communications.  This, when combined with CCL-Forensics’ current expanding capability in cell site analysis firmly places the company as an industry leader analysing digital evidence.  They will work alongside mobile phone analysts and computer expert witness specialists to ensure CCL-Forensics can provide the widest range of digital analysis.

Steve joined West Midlands Police in the 1970s, before moving in 2004 into the private sector to provide specialist telephony services to law enforcement agencies.  Greg Robinson is an RF engineer with more than 20 years experience in the radio and telecommunications industry as an engineer and expert witness.

Andrew Krauze, Managing Director of CCL-Forensics says: “I am delighted to welcome Greg and Steve to our already excellent cell site analysis team.”

“Their skills and abilities will prove invaluable in enabling CCL-Forensics to provide a holistic digital forensics service to law enforcement bodies in the UK, as well as legal firms, and other public and private sector bodies.”

“CCL-Forensics has built a highly regarded reputation in the digital forensics industry, providing computer expert witness and mobile phone analysis services to some of the country’s most high-profile police forces.  Greg and Steve’s arrival will enable us to grow our cell site analysis department yet further into these sectors”

Cell site analysis is the process of tracking the movement of a mobile phone for use in criminal cases and civil cases.  Using data from the mobile phone provider, the retrospective location of the phone can be analysed and mapped to assist with a prosecution or confirm an alibi.  Mobile phone signal strength can also be measured on-site to determine more precise location data.  This digital evidence is being used in more and more types of cases, in addition to computer expert witness services and mobile phone forensics.

For more information, please contact Marketing Manager Andy Holmes on 01789 261200 or via their online ‘Contact Form’.

CCL-Forensics is the UK’s leading supplier of digital forensics and computer expert witness services.  It also provides comprehensive cell site analysis services to the law enforcement and legal sectors.  Formed in 2004, it has grown to become one of the largest independent digital forensics suppliers in the country.

Many of us have some idea of the techniques that are used by forensics experts in relation to criminal activities – checking for evidence, taking fingerprints and tracing suspects. However, whilst computer forensics is a practice that is being used much more commonly, due to the increased usage of computers and other devices, many of us know very little about what it actually is. So what is computer forensics and why is it so important in this digital age?

In today’s society the vast majority of households and businesses posses computers, they are used to communicate, listen to music and even watch television. Unfortunately, this has led to an surge in the number of crimes that involve computers or other digital devices like mobile phones or satellite navigation systems.

At CCL Forensics, we have first-hand experience of using specialised techniques to identify data within a computer that could link an individual to a crime.  These techniques are grouped under the collective term, computer forensics.

We follow a precise process to ensure that none of the data is damaged, which could potentially compromise the integrity of an investigation. This process begins with forensic imaging, which creates a binary copy of a computer hard drive without altering the suspect system. The analysts can then pin-point what the computer has been used for and how, which is detailed in a comprehensive report that can be used as part of a criminal investigation.

Computer forensics can also be used internally by companies that suspect that their employees have been misusing the computer systems. More commonly, it is used by the Police as part of criminal cases involving murder, sex offences, terrorism, fraud and other serious activities.

Further information about computer forensics and other associated practices that we at CCL Forensics provide can be found on our website. Any organisation that suspects that their computers are being misused should contact our team by calling the number on our website.

We need only look to the recent past to recognise the astonishing rate at which technology moves forward. If we were to glance back even a few decades, we’d see a world in which the computer was a luxury enjoyed by very few – thought they were primitive by today’s standards. Of course, in modern Britain computers are so common that it’s impossible to imagine a world without them, and most of us are now computer literate from an early age. However, such continual advancements in technology do lead to challenges in the area of computer forensics, as some firms struggle to keep up.

Thankfully, here at CCL Forensics, we’re not one of those companies. We’ve long since recognised the importance of staying one step ahead of the game, which is why we invest in continual research and development, as well as maintaining a workforce which is consistently highly trained.

A recent example of the success of our research is how we’ve refined our services in the area of SatNav Forensics. As more and more satellite navigation systems are being used in criminal activities, we have dedicated our own research and development resource to providing us with the information necessary to allow us to extract any data from the growing number of GPS devices on the market.

For ordinary users, as technology becomes more complex it follows that sensitive information may be more difficult to isolate and retrieve. This reinforces the existing warning for companies and individuals, who suspect computer misuse, to avoid trying to retrieve data themselves, as this action can lead to information degradation or loss altogether.

Here at CCL Forensics we are confident that we can retrieve information forensically from the vast majority of computer systems. Overall, we’ve completed more than 2500 cases in computer forensics alone, which means that it’s likely we’ll have previous experience working with any system you might have. If you suspect computer misuse has taken place, get in touch with our expert team.

The field of computer forensics, as its name suggests, is not totally dissimilar from “regular” forensics. Both techniques are used to gather sensitive material in situations where criminal or suspicious activity is suspected. However, unfortunately some computer crime scenes may become contaminated by untrained users attempting to investigate data themselves. Thankfully, expert forensic computer analysts like CCL Forensics could still help recover important data even if it has been tampered with – although this makes it much more difficult.

At the heart of CCL professionalism are the computer and mobile phone analysts themselves. In the very first instance, every one of our fifty strong team of forensic analysts are security vetted by the police, which means that not only can you trust CCL as a company, but individuals can be relied on to maintain confidentiality too.

New technicians undergo rigorous training which is supported by regular counselling and review sessions. This demonstrates to new clients that our analysts are able to work creatively on a case by case basis, ensuring that any sensitive data will be discovered first time.

If you work in business you will know that reliable staff form the backbone of your company. In fact, it might be an investigation into a team member’s behaviour that has led you to CCL. Having worked on so many cases in this area, we understand that trust within a team is paramount; and that’s why we think it’s so important to be able to guarantee the reliability all of our computer analysts.

If you choose a computer forensics firm like CCL, you benefit from not just our skills, but our legal experience too. We can provide reliable evidence in legal cases of all kinds, due to our vetted and accredited staff. Don’t trust delicate data with anyone else, contact the qualified team at CCL Forensics.

Computers are so essential to our way of life that it will come as no surprise to know that computer crime is now a widespread problem in modern Britain and the world at large. Unfortunately, the majority of computer misuse victims don’t know enough about computer forensics to be able to carry out computer analysis reliably on a machine that they suspect has been misused. Thankfully, most offenders don’t know enough to fully conceal their activities either, and this allows experts like CCL Forensics to uncover data evidence that amateurs usually overlook.

This service can be especially useful to employers and individuals who are investigating computer misuse. Offences in this area can include participating in illegal activities online, such as fraud, or harassment, in addition to downloading inappropriate material or even simply wasting company time on non – work related activities. If you suspect someone of computer misuse, or are engaged in legal cases where supporting evidence from a computer could help reveal the truth, we at CCL Forensics urge you to get in touch.

The first step is to make a ‘forensic image’ of the computer in question, which is then returned to our facilities for expert analysis. So that any evidence will stand up in court, it’s crucially important that trained technicians like our team at CCL Forensics analyse the data, rather than in – house IT staff. Data can be extremely unstable in nature, so we use state of the art technology to locate, secure and extract the necessary information – even if it has been deleted.

The key point in investigating computer misuse is to remain calm and contact a specialist in computer analysis. Allegations are very serious, and although your suspicions may well be correct, attempting to find proof yourself could result in corrupted or non existent data – causing your investigation to backfire. Contact CCL Forensics for a comprehensive professional consultation this spring.