CASE STUDIES

A large accounting firm was hired to audit certain activities related to loans to individuals on the Board of Directors of a medium size, publicly traded bank (the “Bank”). During the Audit, the auditors needed to examine several computer systems used by certain Bank employees as well as by certain Board Members. GDF’s digital forensic examiners were immediately dispatched and sent in to arrange for the forensic analysis of the computer systems and to to search for corroborating evidence in support of the audit team’s suspicions and findings. The systems GDF analysts forensically analyzed included laptop computers issued to managers in the loan origination department, desktop systems used by managers and board members. Email (Exchange) servers as well as Voicemail Systems were examined. Download the case study in Adobe PDF format here.

A Pharmaceutical Company began receiving complaints from its representatives in certain geographical areas that sales of normally high volume drugs were slowing down considerably. The companies internal security department as well as the security departments of its major distributors began an investigation. The results of the investigations led the security professionals to believe a significant amount of the companies product was being diverted from foreign countries into The United States and sold through smaller distributors who specialized in sales to locally, privately owned, pharmacies and dispensaries within nursing homes. The diversion activities were immediately reported to the local authorities in the regions as well as to the FDA. An investigation was immediately launched and millions of dollars of diverted drugs and repackaging equipment was seized from several locations, including the warehouses of fully licensed pharmaceutical distributors. Along with the diverted product the computers and other electronic equipment was also seized. The seizure went smoothly and the company was satisfied as were investigators from the FDA and local law enforcement however the case was severely hindered by the fact that the majority of communications between the principals of the distribution companies (foreign nationals) and the foreign suppliers was conducted by email. There were was also virtually no paper records on site. While the local authorities and the FDA had access to computer forensic labs both faced similar roadblocks in their investigations; the labs were severely backlogged and the systems were encrypted and fairly complex as well as being a foreign language. Download the case study in Adobe PDF format here.