Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Monday, January 14, 2019

New Site Launch - OSINTDFIR.com

In an effort to maintain the links and resources I recommend to people when called on for assistance, and when teaching, I have created a compendium site which will house ONLY links and resources. I have updated the investigative resources tab on this site to forward to the new site. OSINTDFIR.com will house links related to OSINT, Privacy, DFIR, and a recommended reading list.

Ultimately, in the classes we teach, we cannot make you an expert in the subject. Between the time allotted for classes, and the deep / wide nature of the subject matter; we often times find that we are asking students to drink through a fire-hose...at full blast. It is my hope that this new site will be a resource you can use into the future as it is updated regularly, and is easy to come back to. It should be noted, there are several (hundreds?) of these types of sites out there, this is simply my take on the theme. Many are listed there as well.

At the end of the day, we all know in this field that no one person knows everything, and we all need a little help from our friends from time to time. If I can provide a little assistance in your research or one of these resources helps when you're in a tough spot, it's all worth it, and I am glad to help.

I will continue to (poorly) maintain current and future blog postings here on adv4n6.com, and will continue to post shenanigans / retweet articles of interest on Twitter under the @Adv4n6 handle.

I have made it a goal to research and post more in 2019... we shall see. Work and the associated travel tends to get in the way of my hobbies from time to time. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying...

Thank you all for your continued support and readership!
The new OSINTDFIR.com

Friday, December 1, 2017

ABOUT ME - Who is Adv4n6??

A little bit about my background for context as far as the blog goes. I am a former law enforcement officer / Detective for a mid-size Sheriff's Office in the Southeast US. In that role I was assigned to an Internet Crimes Against Children Task-force, as well as a United States Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task-force. My duties primarily involved the investigation and prosecution of crimes involving technology, with the majority of my cases being investigated in an undercover / covert manner.

In addition to the investigations I conducted, I was formally trained as a Digital Forensic Examiner conducting exams on both computers and mobile devices. I have conducted hundreds of forensic examinations and investigations in my career. Additionally I have attended over 500 hours of instruction in Digital Forensics, to include: the Basic Computer Evidence Recovery Training at the National Computer Forensics Institute, and the Basic Computer Forensic Examiner course put on by the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists. I have multiple certifications to include the CFCE, CCE, and Cellebrite’s CCME.

I have since left law enforcement service, and am a digital forensic examiner for a private firm dealing with all manner of cases ranging from executive departure, IP theft, criminal defense and domestic litigation. Some may call it "going to the dark side"…but I call it getting paid for a set of skills earned over several years of dedicated public service. And I make no bones about it. We all have to do what we have to do for career progression, and to take care of our family. I dont fault anyone for making moves to do that.

Outside of my professional life, which is primarily what I will be writing about here, I am a "normal guy"--if not a bit of a tech geek / nerd. I love to read and learn about a wide variety of topics, from technology, to politics, to law, to...well, you get the idea.

Prior to entering Law Enforcement I was an Infantryman in the Army, and have been around the world to such exotic locales as Afghanistan and Iraq. Best job I ever had. Im very thankful for the people I met and the experiences I had -- They have truly helped shape me.

When not geeking out, I love to tinker with my Jeep, ride my motorcycles, travel, and spend time with my family which includes a beautiful, understanding and loving wife, and a manic Belgian Malinois. If there is ever anything I can assist you with - dont hesitate to give a shout!