Digital-Forensics

The Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG)'s Cyber Security Working Group has partnered with forensics technology provider Cellebrite to launch a “Digital Forensics Repository” knowledge database.

The repository, essentially a virtual library updated by CWAG members, will be hosted on a website created by CWAG and partially restricted to the organization's members.

Jim Grady, CEO of Cellebrite, noted that the repository will contain a multitude of guides aimed at helping state attorneys and prosecutors deploy digital forensics tools in compliance with legal requirements and industry best practices. “It's envisioned to cover everything from legal policy to standard operating procedures,” he said.

Karen White, executive director at CWAG, added that in addition to content like sample search warrants and court orders, the repository will also contain case studies documenting how digital forensic technologies “have been used and where it was successful, or where it has been challenged” by courts.

What's more, the repository will also include technical guides on how to deploy certain digital forensics technologies.

The impetus to launch the Digital Forensics Repository came in response to the struggles state attorneys and prosecutors have in keeping up with how to properly use the latest new digital forensics tools when performing e-discovery tasks, such as mobile discovery.

“With the some of the newer technologies, there is a lot of uncertainty about how you go through the process and how you get approvals to do the appropriate searches, and where is the data stored,” Grady said.

This uncertainty can be particularly pronounced, White added, because the laws around digital forensics are constantly evolving. Just over the past year, for instance, the recently passed CLOUD Act put in place new procedures around collecting data stored outside the U.S., while the Department of Justice (DOJ) placed new restrictions on deploying “gag orders” under Section 2705 of the Stored Communications Act, which prevents companies from telling their users about government collection of their data.

The Digital Forensics Repository will strive to keep current on the latest laws and best practices by continuously updating the library with new content from CWAG members. The repository will also host most of its content, such as guides on changing policies and best practices, behind a password-protected wall, accessible only to CWAG members.

But it will have content outside its members-only section as well. White noted that such content will include “public information about the [digital forensics] technology and how it can be used and the type of tools available.”

Through the repository is solely meant for state attorneys and prosecutors, CWAG and Cellebrite hope that law enforcement will also benefit from the publically available guides. And in the near future, they are aiming to come out with more public content. “The goal is to make this widely available to law enforcement,” White said.