Stories by Brandon Gregg

Use your own 'Flame' spyware for investigations

Logging onto your computer, you are greeted with a screen full of statistics in easy-to-read bar and pie graphs. One graph in particular quickly catches your attention. Out of hundreds of users, one computer is being flagged for sending large amounts of data to a server in Iran.

Brandon Gregg | 06 Aug | Read more

How online black markets work

The internet is no stranger to crime. From counterfeit and stolen products, to illegal drugs, stolen identities and weapons, nearly anything can be purchased online with a few clicks of the mouse. The online black market not only can be accessed by anyone with an Internet connection, but the whole process of ordering illicit goods and services is alarmingly easy and anonymous, with multiple marketplaces to buy or sell anything you want.

Brandon Gregg | 01 May | Read more

5 free ways to use crowdsourcing for investigations

We have all heard the phrase, "When all else fails, try, try again." But in an investigation, when your own skills aren't enough, your professional network can't support you, and your leads go cold, what is next? You need to try again, yes, but try a new approach. One new approach is to turn to the 'wisdom of crowds' for answers.

Brandon Gregg | 28 Jun | Read more

How to build your own digital forensics lab, cheap

All too frequently a peer will contact me in a panic about recovering deleted files from a suspect's hard drive--after my peer has trampled on the digital evidence like a rookie police officer at his first crime scene. Often valuable evidence is lost for good,or unusable in court; or worse, the suspect knows he is being investigated.

Brandon Gregg | 23 Jul | Read more

Tools to identify anonymous users online

After posting 5 Free Ways to Track Online Leaks of Information, I received numerous requests asking how to identify the online source leaking the confidential company information. Here are some techniques a corporate investigator can use to identify anonymous users online.

Brandon Gregg | 07 Jul | Read more

Free Tools to Send Anonymous Messages

Whether it is for an investigation, a whistle-blower statement, a prank or just extreme paranoia, you may have a need for anonymously sending messages. The following five tools provide an easy to use way to communicate incognito with Internet surfing, emails, phone calls and text messages. While these tools have their limitations, they do provide an Investigator a great way to hide his identity, gather intelligence, and communicate secretly when needed.

Brandon Gregg | 18 Jun | Read more