Why digital forensics became mission-critical for federal agencies

Federal crimes now have a huge digital component which has transformed the breadth and scope of investigations. While interviews, surveillance, and physical evidence remain essential, the most decisive insights often come from digital evidence. Computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices can expose criminal networks, uncover insider threats, and reveal national security risks.

For U.S. federal agencies, the pressure to process this evidence quickly, accurately, and in a legally admissible manner has never been higher. Case backlogs, staffing constraints, and government-related setbacks have compounded the difficulty. Meanwhile, criminals continue to exploit technology, moving faster and leaving trails that require specialized tools and expertise to follow.

In this environment, digital forensics for federal agencies is absolutely crucial. Without it, investigators risk missing evidence, introducing delays, or compromising legal authenticity.

Federal cases go digital

Federal investigators face immense challenges in the digital realm. According to the FBI’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, malicious actors caused a record $16.6 billion in losses from internet-related crime in 2024. The report also notes federal investigators are confronting a surge in AI-generated threats, including sophisticated phishing campaigns and deepfake-enabled scams. Federal investigators need to combat AI-driven threats with AI-enhanced forensics, ensuring cutting-edge attacks are met with equally advanced defenses.

In addition, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and IoT devices generate massive amounts of data, often distributed across multiple agencies and jurisdictions. Cloud platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Slack expand the sources of digital evidence investigators must examine. Encryption and sophisticated privacy measures also complicate lawful access.

Multimedia content—images, videos, and audio—is now central to many cases, including counterterrorism, financial fraud, and human trafficking. Roughly 400 million terabytes of data are generated every day, with video accounting for more than half (53.72%) of global data traffic. Processing this content manually is extremely time-consuming and becoming impractical. Federal agencies need digital solutions that integrate acquisition, analysis, verification, and review of all this data into a unified workflow.

Lawful access and comprehensive collection

The first step in any federal investigation is to acquire evidence legally, quickly, and securely. Magnet Graykey provides federal investigators with the ability to access data from iOS and Android devices. Federal investigative  agencies are already using Graykey so they can extract messages, photos, videos, and geolocation data swiftly while preserving chain-of-custody integrity.

Once data has been acquired, Magnet Axiom allows federal agencies to analyze and correlate evidence from devices, networks, and cloud environments in a single workflow. Axiom can correlate artifacts, reconstruct timelines, identify communication patterns, and reveal relationships across multiple suspects for review. FBI cyber task forces, DEA digital investigations units, and DoD criminal investigative teams all leverage Axiom to uncover insights that would be nearly impossible to detect manually.

Digital forensics accelerates federal investigations

For multimedia-heavy cases—such as human trafficking, terrorism, or child exploitation—Magnet Griffeye provides evidence analysis for images and videos. It allows investigators to categorize content, identify victims and perpetrators, and cross-reference media across multiple cases or agencies. Integration with T3K.AI CORE reduces analyst exposure to sensitive content, helping federal teams work safely and efficiently. Federal agencies, including HSI cybercrime units and ICAC task forces coordinated by the FBI, use Griffeye to dramatically reduce the time needed for media review.

Verifying accuracy and defensibility

Ensuring accuracy and integrity are essential for federal investigations. Magnet Verify ensures media integrity by detecting edits and alterations with forensic-level precision. Verify can potentially detect manipulation, identify the software behind changes, and give investigators confidence that evidence is reliable. By uncovering AI-generated or synthetic content—or more importantly, proving originality—Verify reduces the risk of challenges in court and strengthens expert testimony with clear, documented forensic methods. Magnet Forensics provides digital media authentication solutions to numerous federal law‑enforcement and investigative agencies, helping ensure the integrity of digital evidence across the federal public sector.

Secure collaboration and coordinated action

Once analysis and verification are complete, evidence must be reviewed and acted upon. Magnet Review allows investigators, analysts, and prosecutors to collaborate securely in real time. Its web-based interface supports annotation, filtering, and organized sharing without compromising chain of custody or sensitive data.

Multi-agency collaboration is essential for many federal investigations. For example, ICAC task forces may combine FBI, state, and local resources. HSI units coordinate with international partners on trafficking and cybercrime cases; and Secret Service financial crime teams collaborate with DOJ prosecutors. Review ensures all participants operate from a single, verified source of truth, enabling faster decisions, coordinated responses, and clear accountability.

Magnet Automate is a digital forensics workflow platform designed to streamline and standardize evidence processing. It allows federal agencies to automatically ingest, process, and triage data from multiple sources without manual intervention. By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, Automate helps agencies overcome operational disruptions such as federal shutdowns, staffing shortages, or surges in caseloads, ensuring investigations stay on track. The platform frees investigators from tedious, mundane tasks to focus on analysis and decision-making.

Together, Review and Automate improve efficiency, streamline collaboration, and help federal agencies do more with less. They enable investigators to act quickly on verified evidence and maintain consistency across teams.

A trusted partner for digital investigations

For U.S. federal agencies, clarity, speed, and accuracy aren’t just goals—they’re mission-critical. Magnet Forensics ensures no digital footprint is missed, no evidence is compromised, and every investigative decision is guided by verified truth. Our solutions have already become essential for many federal teams, supporting prosecutions across counterterrorism, cybercrime, human trafficking, and financial fraud. By providing a connected ecosystem, Magnet Forensics allows agencies to move seamlessly from evidence acquisition to analysis, verification, and review.

With Magnet Forensics as a trusted partner, federal agencies can stay ahead of evolving threats and uphold the highest standards of evidentiary integrity—empowering teams to act decisively and confidently in every investigation. Connect with Magnet Forensics today and learn how our solutions can give your agency an Investigative Edge.