05 Nov

Posted at 08:57h in Blog
Software from Redmond, Washington always seems newsworthy. This software project was going well and beginning to get national attention. One day the focus turned inward, however. During a test of the project, the boss discovered that the new software was providing links to pornography on...

18 Oct

Posted at 17:56h in Blog
The tough job in risk assessment is separating the goofiness of ordinary life from factors that might indicate potential violence. Assessment isn’t prediction — but both have similar uncertainties. In a world with lots of physical variables, each represented by a known stochastic process the...

21 Jun

Posted at 09:10h in Blog
Two former spooks met for a gourmet lunch on the side of an extinct volcano. Sounds interesting… and it was. I was with Patrick Wardle, Director of R&D for synack.com. His company has taken an effective new approach to discovering network vulnerabilities for their clients....

29 May

Posted at 17:42h in Blog
Tomorrow is Memorial Day in the US. Just a few weeks ago Liberation Day, Bevrijdingsdag, was remembered in the Netherlands. They recognize the sacrifice of foreign soldiers who defeated the German occupiers in World War II. Near Maastricht, 8,301 American soldiers are buried. They fell...

05 Mar

Posted at 21:02h in Blog
Stalkers, controlling spouses, creepy bosses and predators like tracking. The good things in our electronic environment can create problems for us… and opportunities for stalkers. Computer logins and email headers can disclose clues about location. Photos carry metadata that can include GPS coordinates. Watch out...

27 Jan

Posted at 07:22h in Blog
It’s fashionable on web sites to describe successes. Sometimes other case outcomes are more memorable, however. Here are some of our experiences in a Redmond cyber intrusion, a Tacoma murder and a few other cases. Last year we were retained in a pro bono case...

04 Jan

Posted at 08:33h in Blog
Typically professionals work in an environment that has thoughtful IT professionals safeguarding the network. In many cases the network health is audited to standards for medical, financial or government security. At home much of network security is left to the homeowner without much help from...

21 Dec

Posted at 09:28h in Blog
Whenever a client calls with a complex investigation we quickly run through a checklist of volatile evidence that they should preserve, including cellphones. These are obvious digital items that make sense to archive before they disappear: Alarm system logs, Access control activity, Video from the...

14 Nov

Posted at 08:26h in Blog
The terrible attacks in Paris last night remind us that evil is part of the world that we live in. Events of this sort always bring to mind the concern about stopping the next attack by terrorists. Fortunately, mounting a large attack of this sort...