Content Industry: Federal Agencies

Bringing human traffickers to justice with Magnet Forensics

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Human trafficking is no longer confined to the shadows of the physical world. It now infiltrates nearly every corner of cyberspace. Traffickers can exploit victims through mobile devices, social media, gaming platforms, and encrypted messaging apps. Today, almost every criminal investigation has a digital component. But every text, image, and video leaves behind a trail of evidence that can reveal the full scope of a human trafficking incident—if investigators have the right tools to help them.

New! Magnet Certification Preparation

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We’re excited to announce the launch of Magnet Certification Preparation —a new series of reinforcement training designed to help qualified students confidently prepare for their certification exams.

S3:E10 // Picking apart the passcodes: Determining the method of unlock on devices

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A common theme in digital forensics is putting the target behind the keyboard. One way to help this is around the use of passcodes and especially the use of biometrics. How can we determine though what the unlock method was? Was it because biometrics were used, or was the passcode manually entered? Where do we look to figure out when the device was unlocked and how trustworthy are these values? In this episode of Mobile Unpacked, we’ll dive in deeper to these very topics!

When the lab never sleeps

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Authored by Chad Gish. A few years ago, my lab at Nashville Police Department hit the breaking point. Our backlog was growing, detectives were waiting months for devices to come back, and I caught myself thinking the same thing many investigators do: We’ll just overtime our way out of this. But you can’t outwork exponential data growth. As the cases piled up, so did the pressure. In homicide or violent-crime work, time isn’t a luxury; it’s the difference between a solved case and a family that never gets answers. When you’re the lead detective, that weight sits squarely on your shoulders.

Protecting sensitive media evidence with cloud security you can verify

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Digital investigations are drowning in data. But every file, every record, and every byte still needs to be analyzed, authenticated, and preserved in strict compliance with legal requirements. Any lapse in management or storage can compromise your entire case. Cloud providers do more than promise security and scalability: they prove it. Independent certifications such as ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II, NIST, and FedRAMP offer critical security assurances to a wide range of users, including law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, defense attorneys, courts, and the public. This verifiable compliance ensures stored evidence can withstand legal scrutiny and maintain integrity throughout the judicial process. These certifications aren’t just technical checkboxes—they’re promises that data is protected with the highest integrity.

From seizure to verdict: Strengthening prosecutions with clear, admissible digital evidence

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Videos, images, and audio recordings often provide the most persuasive evidence in criminal cases. Their impact, however, depends on authenticity, integrity, and lawful acquisition. Courts demand proof that digital evidence is reliable, verifiable, and properly documented. When evidence is legally obtained, securely preserved, and accurately authenticated, prosecutors not only ensure admissibility, but simultaneously strengthen their overall case.

Combating drugs and gang violence with digital forensics

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Violent crime continues to be a serious problem in many major metropolitan areas, often fueled by the complex and intertwined networks of drug trafficking and gang activity. Some 33,000 violent gangs are active in the U.S., engaged in a variety of illegal activities, including robbery, drug and gun trafficking, prostitution, human trafficking, racketeering, and fraud. … Continued