Wednesday, 06 May 2009

As e-crime increases and the perpetrators are increasingly found to be working from within organisations, Detica’s Digital Incident Readiness Reviews prepares Government and others for the near inevitability of a forensics investigation.

In its recently published Security Policy Framework ( www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/spf.aspx ), the UK Government has overhauled its security guidance and now insists upon “a forensic readiness policy that will maximise the ability to preserve and analyse data generated by an ICT system”.

“In this rapidly changing environment, it’s our belief that some Government departments and agencies may not be fully prepared for a digital incident,” said a Detica Forensics spokesperson. “We therefore welcome this governmental review which gives a lead that should be heeded by every organisation in the country – and not just government departments and agencies.

“Currently most organisations will scramble to cope with a digital incident and in doing so they will risk contaminating evidence by acting too hastily without fully comprehending the consequences. We are regularly called in after some well-intentioned staff member has tried to begin an investigation but effectively stopped it in its tracks because they have compromised the evidence by not following precise and rigorous procedures.

“So Detica Forensics has developed Digital Incident Readiness Reviews that have the triple functions of helping organisations preserve evidence, ensuring that they comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and minimising disruption to operations.”

Based on more than 20 years experience of digital security, Detica Forensic’s Digital Readiness Review comprises five main elements:

• A Network and Systems Audit to identify strengths and weaknesses.
• A Policy and Procedures Audit to gauge ability to respond to an incident.
• Risk Identification and assessment to identify and mitigate risks in responding to incidents.
• A Digital Incident Response Plan developed with in-house staff to prioritise protection.
• First Responder Training to minimise evidence contamination and maximise chances of success.

For more details of Detica Forensic’s Digital Readiness Review, contact +44 (0) 845 0507640.