How Exterro Helps Keep the Bad Guys Off the Streets

The following is the seventh post in a new blog series from Exterro CEO Bobby Balachandran, where he shares his thoughts on the issues legal leaders care about and his vision for addressing them. Read Bobby's last blog here.

In my last blog, I covered the exciting advancements we’re making with the Forensics Toolkit (FTK®)—things like amplifying our current capabilities with new AI to develop a “Smart Investigator” addition to help with internal and criminal investigations. We’re working on making a phenomenal tool even better and have many fantastic things planned for the rest of the year (and beyond).

But part of the magic of FTK is that it was already the best digital forensics tool on the market before AccessData joined with Exterro—and one of the best at keeping the bad guys off the streets.

The Digital Bloodhound

Whatever the crime is, the bottom line is that investigators are looking to retrace a person’s digital footsteps. Our technology acts like a bloodhound, able to track down where they’ve been and what they’ve been doing to provide a trail of evidence.

Real-Life Case Study: The Aurora Theater ShootingIn 2012, the Aurora Police Department used FTK to uncover the intent of James Holmes. Detective Mike Leiker used FTK to extract information from Google Chat history, laptops, and mobile devices that proved the suspect's guilt.

• Speed: FTK processed information significantly faster than competitors, which was crucial for proving intent during the trial.
• Closure: Faster processing means less time investigating and more time bringing closure to victims.

Addressing Data Backlogs in Law Enforcement

Data volumes for cybercrime are doubling approximately every 18 months, creating massive backlogs for police departments. To combat this, Exterro is focusing on:

• Real-time Collaboration: New products like Quin-C allow officers to review evidence and collaborate from any location.
• Faster Processing: Leveraging powerful technology so departments can do more with less.
• Data Integrity: Ensuring the quality of evidence is proven quickly to move cases toward timely closure.

Tracking Down Internal Bad Actors

Businesses must also deal with "insider threats"—employees who may attempt to steal sensitive business data.

• AD Enterprise: Allows investigators to track digital movements and data exfiltration from remote locations.
• Endpoint Visibility: Identifies which system endpoints were used and what data was moved outside the organization.
• Automated Collection: Through API integrations with cybersecurity alert software, users can automate collections and take snapshots of activity before a perpetrator can hide their tracks.

In my next article, I’ll be discussing how Exterro has built an industry-leading Incident and Breach Management module and how greater visibility into live data means faster investigations.

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