Forensic Faux Pas and the Foundations of Defensible Digital Evidence

When digital forensics and incident response intersect with legal proceedings, even minor missteps can have major consequences. This session underscores the critical role of forensic expertise and the risks posed by its absence when precision, rigour, and defensible methodology are paramount.

Using real-world examples of investigations gone awry, we’ll explore how skilled forensic professionals uphold the integrity of digital evidence—ensuring it remains admissible, accurate, and legally sound, while also mitigating financial loss, reputational damage, regulatory fallout, and fractured business relationships.

Key Leanings

1. Work to court-admissible standards from the outset—ensuring all forensic outputs withstand scrutiny, whether for legal, regulatory, or internal purposes.
2. Robust collection, documentation, and analysis practices that meet the highest evidentiary thresholds without unnecessary overhead.
3. Why investing in skilled forensic professionals pays dividends when cases escalate, reputational risks emerge, or regulatory scrutiny intensifies.

About Scott

Scott is a former Victoria Police eCrime member and specialises in incident response, complex forensic investigations, data recovery and mobile device analysis. Scott has 15 years’ experience as a forensic practitioner, having worked most of that time in a law enforcement context for the Australian Government and Victoria Police. Scott has extensive experience with search warrants, and civil search orders and has appeared as an expert witness in the County Court (Vic) and Magistrates Court (Vic).