Question 1

What is a digital forensics company?

Accepted Answer

A digital forensics company is a specialized cybersecurity service provider that collects electronic evidence to support cybercrime investigations, improve cybersecurity systems, and prevent future incidents. The gathered evidence is then submitted to auditors, legal teams, and law enforcement agencies for instances that require further legal action.

Below are the branches of digital forensics:

Mobile forensics
Analysis of smartphones, cellphones, tablets, and other mobile devices to collect digital evidence, which involves scanning call logs, mobile applications, and files stored on memory cards and cloud accounts
Computer forensics
Extraction of digital evidence from desktop computers, laptops, digital storage devices, and other computing devices using data recovery and forensic analysis techniques
Database forensics
Examination of databases and related metadata, such as disk drives, RAM, SQL servers, enterprise servers, and NoSQL databases to identify potential data breaches
Network forensics
Analysis of traffic data, logs, file transfers, emails, web browsing history, and other network traffic activities to uncover digital evidence of a cyber incident
Digital video/audio forensics
Verification of video and audio recordings’ authenticity to determine if the content has been manipulated
Digital image forensics
Examination of digital images’ metadata to determine their authenticity

With more modern crimes leveraging technology, businesses require the specialized expertise of digital forensics companies to defend against these cybercrimes and gather digital evidence to persecute the individuals behind them. Below are specific challenges that digital forensics services help surpass:

Dealing with evolvingly more complex and sophisticated cyber threats that can paralyze business operations and destroy its reputation
Swiftly implementing an IT disaster recovery plan after a cyber-attack without compromising potential digital evidence
Verifying suspicions of employee misconduct, inappropriate use of company assets, or internal source of a cyber-attack, threat, or incident
Combating anti-forensic strategies that attempt to hide criminal evidence
Implementing more robust cybersecurity measures due to the increased reliance on digital systems
Limited access to advanced digital forensic tools and equipment

The global digital forensics market is predicted to reach $18.2 billion by 2028, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.9% from 2023 to 2028. Law enforcement agencies account for the largest market share in terms of verticals while cloud solutions dominate the market share in terms of deployment.

Success story

As evidence of the value digital forensics companies bring to a business, here’s a case study on how CyberSecOp helped an insurance firm mitigate the impact of a cybersecurity incident.

Challenge: An international insurance firm’s network went down, preventing email accessibility, user login, and security authentication, preventing it from performing critical business functions and translating into profit loss. The firm assumed this was a targeted attack and sought expert forensic analysis to confirm its suspicions.
Solution: CyberSecOp imaged and backed up evidence, including user logs, servers, firewalls, routers, and Windows event login. After analyzing and documenting all evidence, CyberSecOp discovered that a new form of malware changed network security policies, further uncovering that a botnet entered the system through a firewall misconfiguration.
Results: CyberSecOp rectified the client’s network and restored operations, delivering an analysis report and remedies to fix the firewall and prevent another incident. Moreover, it proved that the attack wasn't targeted but was caused by new malicious software that was only publicized 12 days after the incident.

Question 2

What do digital forensics companies do?

Accepted Answer

Digital forensics companies process and analyze digital devices, systems, and data to identify, collect, and store electronic evidence for cybercrime, criminal, and civil investigations. They ensure the evidence is admissible in court and prevent it from being compromised.

Below are digital forensics companies' services:

Incident response
Swiftly responding to cybersecurity incidents, such as data breaches or cyber-attacks, to contain and mitigate damage and to collect evidence for further investigation
Data recovery
Retrieving lost, deleted, or corrupted data from various digital devices, such as computers, smartphones, servers, and storage media
Forensic analysis
Analyzing digital devices and data to uncover evidence related to criminal activities, internal investigations, or legal disputes. This can involve examining files, emails, internet activity, and other digital footprints. Analysts may also employ digital forensic techniques, including reverse steganography, stochastic forensics, cross-dive analysis, and live analysis.
Litigation support
Providing expert testimony, preparing reports, and presenting digital evidence in a manner that is admissible in court
Network forensics
Monitoring and analyzing network traffic to detect and investigate suspicious activities, security breaches, and unauthorized access
Malware analysis
Examining malicious software to understand its behavior, origins, and impact and developing strategies to prevent future infections
Compliance audits
Ensuring that organizations comply with relevant regulations and standards related to data protection and cybersecurity by conducting thorough audits and assessments
Consulting and training
Providing expert advice and training to organizations on best practices for digital security, incident response, and data protection

Success story

To portray a more comprehensive image of digital forensics companies' services, here’s a case study from FTI Consulting.

Challenge: An aviation company was accused of stealing intellectual property (IP) after hiring senior-level engineers who previously worked for the plaintiff’s organization. Facing litigation and potentially criminal charges, the company partnered with FTI Consulting to determine whether there was any merit to the allegations.
Solution: FTI Consulting provided forensic analysis of over 80 devices and cloud-based services, including Google Workspace, Slack, Jira, Bitbucket, and the recently onboarded staff’s personal computers and mobile devices. It scanned upload activities, metadata, and cloud-based sources and compared them with key dates.
Results: Within weeks, FTI Consulting submitted a quick summary to stakeholders, proving the team’s innocence. It also provided continuous support for two years, supplying necessary advice, evidence, expertise on complex data platforms and technical requirements, and witness testimony to strengthen the case.

Question 3

How much do digital forensics services cost?

Accepted Answer

The average starting rate of a digital forensic company for a single system impact report is $10,000. However, the costs can vary depending on your business size, project scope, current system status, and required agency specialization.

Here are the different pricing models used by digital forensics companies:

Per hour
Charges for every hour of work, which is beneficial for businesses seeking consultation services and have evolving project scopes
Per device
Bills for every device that needs to be analyzed and inspected, making it cost-effective for small teams that use only a handful of work devices
Per system
Invoices for every system that needs to be analyzed, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, point of sale system, and customer relationship management (CRM) system
Retainer fee
Charges a set monthly fee, making it ideal for businesses that face legal court hearings, require regular cybersecurity monitoring, and plan to store digital evidence for long periods

The top 50 digital forensics companies on DesignRush charge an average of $65 per hour. 19% of the digital forensic companies on DesignRush accept projects with a budget of less than $1,000, offering a flexible pricing scheme for small projects and startups. In contrast, 1.1% require a $50,000 minimum budget, befitting companies with complex digital forensics needs.

Question 4

Why should I hire a digital forensics services company?

Accepted Answer

You should hire a digital forensics services company because it can help you navigate the legalities of cybercrime, collect the necessary evidence and documentation to build a concrete case and mitigate the impact of rising attacks. It can also help you comply with laws and policies, identify sources of previous cyber-attacks, and mitigate cybercrime incidents in the future.

Hire digital forensics companies because they:

Are the first responders after a security incident and take quick action to minimize its impact on your business
Perform search and seizure of devices affected by or involved in the crime and analyze their data, systems, and devices to collect evidence
Prevent data loss and recover lost data
Can determine the source and cause of a cyber-attack or threat, be it from internal or external origin
Discover occurrences of trade secrets, intellectual property theft, inappropriate use of company assets, and employee misconduct
Secure the evidence and validate the accuracy, authenticity, and accessibility of the data
Document and report the entire incident, ensuring that the report has enough evidence that will be accepted in a court of law
Testify as an expert witness when applicable
Gather the necessary documents to file for insurance claims
Resolve internal cybersecurity disagreements
Comply with the laws and regulations required of your industry, state, and country

Success story

To provide a more comprehensive depiction of the benefits of digital forensics services, here’s a success story on how a business withstood a new form of ransomware attack.

Challenge: A company was attacked by a Royal ransomware that spread throughout the network, encrypting valuable data, crippling daily operations, and potentially destroying its reputation. The problem was further exacerbated when the threat actors demanded $8 million for the decryption key.
Solution: Proven Data analyzed the ransomware’s encryption algorithm to develop a shell script that undid its effects. Once it verified that the script was effective and didn’t damage data, it decrypted the client's entire network within five days.
Results: Proven Data provided a forensic analysis report detailing solutions to prevent similar incidents from happening again. More importantly, the client avoided paying the ransom entirely and only incurred costs for Proven Data’s services, which amounted to less than 1% of the ransom demand.

Question 5

How do I choose the best digital forensics company for my business?

Accepted Answer

Because digital forensics companies work with sensitive data and legal requirements, conducting good research and due diligence are vital before selecting a partner for your business. Here are some steps to consider when choosing a digital forensic company for your business:

Assess your situation
Understand the type of crime potentially committed and the action you may want to pursue so you can determine the type of digital forensics expertise and services you want. For instance, some digital forensics companies have expertise in financial fraud, while others specialize in intellectual property theft.
Identify the specialization you require
Research the different types of digital forensics and discover the one that best fits your situation and industry. Examples of these are audiovisual forensics, video forensics, and database forensics.
Outline your project requirements
Specify your project scope, including the number of devices and systems that need to be processed, project goals, and the types of services you need.
Set your budget
Discuss your budget with relevant stakeholders and business leaders, accounting for your planned deadlines and project scope.
Search for potential partners
Research reputable agency directories like DesignRush, listings, marketplaces, and publications, and ask business partners, colleagues, and industry experts for recommendations. Look for firms with experience in your industry, technology, and country.
Verify their credibility
Check their industry reputation, case studies, client reviews, testimonies, certifications, awards, and recognitions. Additionally, look for proof of license and insurance, as certain countries require these from a digital forensics company.
Evaluate their team
Prioritize digital forensics companies that have partnerships with legal firms and law enforcement agencies or have them on staff, as this shows their capability in navigating legal situations during an investigation.
Assess their tools and expertise
Look at their list of services, legal specialties, digital forensics skills, and tools and technologies. Select those that can investigate onsite, provide comprehensive services, and have a full-scale digital forensics laboratory.
Send a request for proposal (RFP)
Detail your project scope, budget, timeline, legal and technological requirements, and company brief. Compare proposals from different agencies and select those that offer the best value based on your needs.
Schedule an interview
Inquire about their willingness to testify, their data collection, analysis, and preservation processes, their cybersecurity measures, evidence handling procedures, and the documentation process. Also, ask for at least three client references to verify their expertise and reputation.
Negotiate terms
Detail your list of deliverables, timeline, and payment method, and ensure that there are stipulations on confidentiality, data protection, and privacy. Have a lawyer review your terms before signing to guarantee that you are legally protected in the case of an emergency or breach of contract.

Looking for a reliable digital forensics company? Explore our Marketplace and send us a message with your list of requirements. We’ll match you with five agencies that best meet your criteria for free!

Question 6

How do I find the best digital forensics company on DesignRush that fits my budget?

Accepted Answer

Using our agency's filters, you can find the best digital forensics company on DesignRush that fits your budget. Shortlist the selection by choosing from agencies that can cater to projects from $1,000 to above $50,000 based on your budget.

To get you started, here are a few options at different price points:

Low Budget: 1k above	Borderless CS Consulting Systems Nuformat
Mid Budget: 10k above	Genetech Solutions Softinator Techlabs White Widget
High Budget: 50k above	Persistent CyberSecOp

Our agency directory also lets you browse agency profiles based on location, area of expertise, agency reviews, client types, team size, budget, and hourly rates so you can compare digital forensic companies comprehensively and find the best fit for your project.

Question 7

What are the key success metrics in digital forensics?

Accepted Answer

Monitoring key success metrics in digital forensics is crucial in evaluating the progress of your investigation and the efficiency of the digital forensics company. With these, you can ensure that the forensic process meets legal standards, produces accurate results, and maintains the integrity of digital evidence.

Below are some of the standard key success metrics used in digital forensics:

Percentage of evidence recovered
Identifies the portion of evidence retrieved, recovered, and analyzed by the digital forensics company over the total evidence collected
Number of prevented data breaches
Tracks the number of data breaches a digital forensics company mitigated through proactive cybersecurity measures and compares it to the total number of breaches confirmed
Return on investment
Measures how much a business has benefited in terms of cost savings and revenue and compares it to the total amount spent on hiring a digital forensics company
Average case resolution time
Measures the average time a digital forensics company takes to solve a case, with the industry benchmark being between 30 and 90 days
Number of successful investigations
Calculates total number of successful investigations conducted within a specific period of time and determines the effectiveness and reliability of a digital forensics company

Question 8

What questions should I ask digital forensics services companies before hiring one?

Accepted Answer

Because digital forensics requires thorough legal and cybersecurity expertise, it is vital to inquire about the skills, knowledge, and credentials of a digital forensics company before hiring one. Doing so will help determine if they have the technical know-how and practical experience to fulfill your project requirements.

Here are some questions to ask digital forensics companies before hiring one:

Its Relevant Background

What digital forensic field do you specialize in — mobile forensics, computer forensics, network forensics, hard-disk forensics, etc.?
Do you specialize in cybercrime or white-collar crime associated with IP theft, trademark or patent violations, banking fraud, hacks, phishing, ransomware, malware, etc.?
What are your team’s credentials? Do you have lawyers on staff?
Do you have experience working with law enforcement during an investigation?
Have you or any of your team members provided witness testimony?
Can you share case studies of projects that are similar to mine?

Its Services and Processes

Can you walk me through your process of preparing a digital forensics report?
What digital forensic techniques do you use?
What is your data collection, analysis, storage, management, preservation, and recovery process?
What is your digital and physical evidence handling and storing procedure? How do you prevent it from being compromised and ensure it is defensible in court?
What technology do you use for digital forensics?
Do you offer around-the-clock availability?
Do you have an insurance policy? What does it cover?
What is your disaster recovery plan?

Related to Your Project

How will you ensure our investigation's confidentiality, data privacy, and security?
Can you investigate our system onsite?
How will your investigation impact our daily operations?
How will we know the progress of our project? How often will you provide reports?
How will you accommodate our project’s evolving scope?

Question 9

What are the best digital forensics companies in the US?

Accepted Answer

The top five digital forensics companies in US are the following:

CyberSecOp
- 5.0 stars on Google (22 reviews)
- Top clients: Altium Wealth, GFI Capital, RB Investment
SugarShot
- 4.7 stars on Google (30 reviews)
- Top clients: Epson, Dolby Theaters, Warner Brothers, Monstera
ArcherHall
- 4.2 stars on Google (5 reviews)
- Top clients: Clark County Public Defender, Kassouni Law, Acorn Legal Services, Remy Moose Manley LLP
FTI Consulting
- 5.0 stars on Google (2 reviews)
- Top clients: Queensland Nickel, Wells Fargo, Office of the Mayor of the City of New York, Adler Group
Group-IB
- 5.0 stars on Google (4 reviews)
- Top clients: DHL, DSK Bank, Paxful, University of Naples Federico II

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