PRESS RELEASE: 03-03-03

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stacey Kumagai, Media Relations
Phone: 818/506-8675; Email: mediamonster@yahoo.com

Computers Seized From al Qaeda Chief Should Yield A Mountain Of Evidence

Los Angeles, CA -- Analysis of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed’s seized computers should help thwart future attacks, identify and locate terrorist operatives and their financial resources. “There’s got to be a mountain of information government computer forensics experts are sifting through”, says Mark McLaughlin, president of Los Angeles based Computer Forensics International (CFI). He adds, “the tools and techniques used by government examiners are the same ones we routinely use to analyze hard drives to for attorneys and corporations”.

Computer forensic examiners first make exact digital evidence copies of all hard drives and disks using sophisticated EnCase computer forensics software. These copies are then viewed just as you would normally look at them in Windows, including a preview of each file’s contents. The program automatically recovers deleted documents and graphic images displaying them in an easy to read and sort, column and row format. Each file’s date and timestamp is displayed making it easy to assemble a timeline related to when the file was created, saved or even viewed.

But the real power of an examination comes from an ability to search through a mountain of data very thoroughly and quickly and in any language. A list of relevant “unique keywords” is developed, that when run against the evidence, returns “hits” or occurrences where the keyword was found. Scripts can be run to quickly recover all complete or partial email addresses, phone numbers and even a history of visits to websites.

Mark McLaughlin has amassed nearly 25 years experience in computer forensic analysis, corporate security investigations, information systems management and law enforcement. He's a frequent lecturer and California State Bar qualified instructor for attorneys on computer forensics.

For interviews contact Stacey Kumagai at 818/506-8675 or skl@cf-intl.com More info.go to www.cf-intl.com.