Cyber Investigations, Expert Witnesses, information security, eDiscovery

Force Majeure specializes in digital investigations in cyberspace involving computers and mobile phones. The company provides advanced consultation and investigation services based on its years of experience and its use of the world’s most advanced technologies.

The company was founded by Mr. Ran Levinson over a decade ago Mr. Levinson is a veteran of the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) elite 8200 intelligence unit. Today, the company fields a team of technologically expert and dedicated professionals specializing in innovative computer investigation techniques. The highly professional team specializes in innovative computer investigations and the use of cutting edge technologies and unique, specialized tools to cover all aspects of cyberspace investigations.

The company’s services include the collection of digital evidence, data retrieval and reconstruction, identifying criminal activities in cyber space, providing expert opinions from leading professionals in the cyber field and acting as expert witnesses before the courts.

Cyberspace, Computer, Internet Investigations and Digital Evidence

Over the past few years, computer crimes have become a major problem for western society. Cyberspace provides an environment suitable for all types of computer and cybercrimes including fraud, theft, and distribution of false and malicious information as well as a host of other illegal activities.

Unscrupulous elements take advantage of online and interactive communications for their own malicious purposes. The widespread use of computers and mobile phones that are a part of all we do during our lives also document much digital evidence that can be used in many cases to prove innocence. Much of this digital evidence is collected “behind the scenes” when using a device. Through the use of advanced technologies, it is possible to gather this evidence and use it as scientifically acceptable evidence.

Thanks to Force Majeure’s professional skills, even malicious and illegal activities that have been “covered up” can be dealt with and reconstructed. In most cases, we can even turn the clock back and trace the offence at the level required for proof before the courts.

The company’s cyberspace and computer investigators use their finely honed, ever evolving skills daily in order to locate and analyze digital evidence that can act as proof of an offence or prove innocence. The team’s work includes:

The ability to track digital evidence pointing to illegal activities.
Reconstruction of computer system events and files and digital media.
Identifying, documenting and prevention of fraud and information leakage from computer systems.
Collection of general and business information from cyberspace.
Locating slanderers on social networks (Facebook, Twitter) in particular as well as the internet in general.
Identifying anonymous elements on the internet using advanced and legal investigation techniques.

Types of Computer Crimes

Undisputed computer crimes where the offence is committed against digital resources such as information theft, unauthorized access to data bases and illegal access to bank accounts.

Another type includes crimes where, during the perpetration of the crime, use is made of a digital device as in cases such as pedophilia; character impersonation and denigrating people on Facebook or other social networks and more.

The science of forensics has developed a great deal over the past few years and now involves far more than fingerprinting or identifying biological evidence. Today we can identify computer and cellular crimes carried out by sophisticated criminals, failed businessmen and corrupt employees.

Expert Opinions on Cases Involving Computers, Cyberspace and the Internet

An expert is someone who knows a great deal about a specific subject.

A credible opinion from an expert can transform a case and lead to arrests, investigations and a definitive court decision. In many cases, a direct approach to the Israeli Police Force regarding computer crimes will be rejected until the police are provided an expert’s report by the complainant. Only when such a report is presented will the police begin an investigation in an attempt to uncover evidence.

Dealing with digital evidence and computer investigation demands professionalism, expertise, knowledge and training that is intrinsically different from that needed to deal with regular computer maintenance. Regardless of how well train computer or cellular technicians are, they are not trained in computer or internet forensics. When they attempt to deal with computer crimes, information theft, fraud and embezzlement they could unintentionally harm the evidence and possibly, even destroy the case.

Immediately upon discovery of an offense, we arrive to begin investigations and identify evidence relating to the offenses. After documenting all the evidence using the technological resources at our command, we produce a detailed computer experts report that presents the evidence and proof of the alleged offense’s perpetration.

Our experience in the preparation of an expert opinion for the courts and police allows us present all the information collected in a clear and detailed manner, even to those who are not computer or technology orientated.

Investigative Reconstruction of Computer and Cellular Systems

Just as forensic investigators can collect, analyze and present evidence from a crime scene; we at Force Majeure, can isolate evidence in the Cloud, computer and cellular devices and effectively analyze it. We can investigate communications networks, personal computers, storage devices, servers, backup tapes, cellular devices and many other systems including those that have been backed up to the Cloud.

The aim of Investigative Reconstruction (Forensics) is to retrieve existing data and to reconstruct erased data even if it was deliberately or accidentally erased. We are able to generate a time line that shows when activities such as file erasure, information theft, fraud or unauthorized installation of spy software took place.

Prevention of Industrial Espionage

With over 10 years of experience in computer and cyberspace investigations we have developed the ability to identify spy and tracking programs installed for the purposes of industrial espionage, information theft and infringement of intellectual property rights.

In many cases we are able to identify hacking into computers and malicious software installed to facilitate industrial espionage by accessing the computer’s system. We are able to identify and locate the agent collecting the data and expose them through the use of our investigatory techniques and technologies and, at the same time, “plug the leak” to prevent any further access once the investigation has been completed.

Locating Slanderers On Facebook, Identity Thieves and Impersonators

The illusion of anonymity that the internet gives us can (in many cases) lead to the malicious use of the internet for slander, libel and defamation of character both on the individual basis and the organizational – business level. With the growth of social networks where, on one hand, users identify themselves by name and with a picture while on the other, the service providers are not required or take any measures to verify the authenticity of the user profile. As a result, more and more users hide behind a fictitious profile. instances where malicious and anonymous users using fictitious identities or impersonating others to slander, cyber bully or participate in “face to face” virtual meetings in the name of other individuals, organizations or companies are growing.

The meteoric growth of technologies places many new challenges before us when dealing with these problems; Force Majeure has developed tool kits for the investigation, discovery and identification of incidents involving impersonation, slander, identity theft and internet bullying on Facebook, other social networks and across the internet.

That’s when we step in!

If an anonymous agent uses your name and/or photograph without authorization, if any agent slanders you or those close to you on Facebook or if you’ve discovered a case of identity theft on Facebook or other social networks, we are here to help! We will start an investigation with the aim of exposing the imposter behind the fictitious profile.

eDiscovery

Today, in many advanced western countries, and increasingly in Israel, the process of identifying and locating digital documents is playing an ever more dominant role in the preliminary stages of legal action.

It is important to note that dealing with digital evidence in general, and e-Discovery in particular, requires significant expertise in order to avoid a situation where digital evidence and its admissibility in court is compromised. We are proud of the immense experience and expertise we have accumulated in the location and identification of digital documents, both in Israel and abroad.

Stages in The Location and Identification of Digital Documents

Computerized analysis and indexing.
Locating search strings and compiling results.
Classifying information resulting from search string results.
Analysis of the relevant data and removal of personal or secret information.
Preparation of a file in the required format for transfer to the other party.
Making the information available in a format suitable for attorneys.

Data storage – storing digital media in a fire proof safe.

Tags: Electronic Disclosure, e-Disclosure.

Information Security Risk Review & Assessment

Information Security – we have amassed a great deal of experience and expertise in cases involving theft from employers, intellectual property theft and in the identification of industrial and commercial espionage. This allows us to identify the processes, the technologies and the weak points within an organization that constitute a high risk pointing to the possibility of an intrusion and harm to the organization and its assets.

Information Security – the Human Factor

Many organizations invest a great deal in the establishment of digital firewalls to protect the body from external attacks. However, many ignore sensitive and potentially critical areas from within the organization itself. It is a known fact that that the weak link in organizational information security is, more often than not, the human one.

The information security review that we have developed will identify the organization’s weak spots that could lead to the theft and/or leakage of data bases, intellectual property, information regarding future sales programs and promotions and possible harm to the reputation and business of the company and its assets.

During the evaluation process, an emphasis is placed on the human aspect including “phishing” attacks on the organization, social engineering, periodic checks of those involved in information systems. We also install “honey pots” to identify snoopers and information “leakers. In addition, we provide training for employees to raise their organizational awareness and preparedness.

Tags: eDiscovery Israel, computer forensics Israel, e-discovery Israel, Cyber Expert Opinion, Information Security Check, penetration test, penetration testing.