National Cyber Security

STEUBENVILLE – Thursday afternoon testimony in the trial of two Steubenville High School athletes who have been charged with rape in connection with a August incident revealed that sexually explicit texts concerning the incident were sent and received on or around Aug. 12.

Testimony in the second day of the trial of Trent Mays, 17, of Bloomingdale and Ma’Lik Richmond, 16, of Steubenville showed that text messages and photos, along with e-mails, were sent from the alleged 16-year-old victim through her mother’s cell phone to phones reportedly belonging to the defendants, witnesses and other individuals. She was reportedly trying to get answers about what happened that night and determine the location of her own cell phone.

The prosecution painted a portrait of a victim who was not aware of her surroundings or anything that happened after she had reportedly vomited in the middle of a street at the second location she was reportedly taken to.

Also, testimony indicated that the victim, who lives in Weirton, through a text message, asked one of the defendants why she was drugged, and the defendant replied that she was not. The testimony was offered by JoAnn Gibb, a computer forensics specialist with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. Her testimony was expected to last for up to three hours.

Defense attorneys offered several objections around the admissibility of text messages and other testimony from Gibb. Some objections were sustained by visiting Judge Thomas Lipps, who is hearing the case, but most were overruled with the judge’s understanding that others will later testify about receiving those text messages.

During the course of the early testimony at the Jefferson County Justice Center, text messages from Mays to others suggested Mays did not have intercourse with the alleged victim, but he did admit in one text that he did have some physical contact of a sexual nature with her.

Other texts seemed to also implicate Richmond in the incident.

The defense had not had an opportunity to cross-examine Gibbs, who was called as a prosecution witness.

If convicted, Mays and Richmond could be held in a juvenile jail until they turn 21.

Source: http://www.reviewonline.com/page/content.detail/id/565607/Computer-forensics-expert-testifies.html?nav=5008

High Tech Crime Solutions

When a young employee of iRobot left the company known for the Roomba self-traveling vacuum, a competing product soon hit the market. After a period of surveillance, the company filed a lawsuit against the former employee for taking trade secrets.

Also making robots for the military, the company requires high security and hired Daniel Bellich, a former FBI agent who protected Pope John Paul II and headed major heroin busts, and Keith Chval, a former head of the High-Tech Crimes Unit at the Illinois Attorney General’s office. They co-founded Claredon Hills-based Protek International, which specializes in computer forensics and investigations.

Chval and Bellich do high-tech computer investigations to search for data, and when necessary, combine that with some old-fashioned, low-tech Dumpster diving to retrieve records. In the iRobot case, they later enlisted the U.S. marshals office to escort them to search the homes of the suspect as well as his parents and girlfriend.

“We found the girlfriend’s laptop had just finished wiping out some data,” Chval said. “And during the course of all this, he got a $250 million Department of Defense contract. But it was later voided.”

Investigating computer-related cases started about eight years ago in a very non-tech way. Chval met Bellich were both were club officers volunteering at Lions Club events in 2003. They went into business together in 2005.

The iRobot case was just one of their key investigations involving the loss of computer files or intellectual property. Another involved the Heartland Institute and global warming wars. A memo with confidential information went out by email to someone who should not have received it. The men were hired to track the electronic trail.

“Our business has steadily been increasing,” Chval said.

Chval thrives on solving cyber crimes and handles many cases on behalf of companies and individuals. They often use the investigation to help quietly stop the activity or refer the case to law enforcement for prosecution.

Despite many warnings that computer users receive at work and at home through their Internet service, phishing and other scams prevail. Stolen information is another top crime.

“The trend now is how frequently corporations get information stolen,” Chval said.

An individual leaves and takes a client list, supplier information or trade secrets of products and uses it to benefit their new company, Chval said.

Companies and individuals need to assess how valuable their information is and what they can do to protect it or duplicate it for emergency use, or what equipment or software they need to ensure its safety, Chval said.

“It’s all about awareness and education,” he said.

If it’s your data, or your employer’s, you need to know the risks involved with that information being compromised or stolen, he said.

“You must take it seriously and let them (the scammers) know you’ll be watching closely,” he said.
Surfing

Swedish watch company Mutewatch will launch its one-of-a-kind touch screen watch at Brookstone in Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg in April. The company said when the watch first launched in 2011, one of its first customers was Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

• Show Your Way Rewards members with Hoffman Estates-based Sears can now get a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the upcoming apparel and accessory collections from entertainers Adam Levine and Nicki Minaj at www.shopyourway.com/adam and www.shopyourway.com/nicki . In addition to messages, photos and videos there will also be shopping advice, insider tips and entertainment and lifestyle news.

• As part of its ongoing 4G LTE rollout, AT&T, which has its Midwest headquarters in Hoffman Estates, has activated a new mobile Internet cell site in Hoffman Estates to expand coverage for area residents and businesses.

Source: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130315/business/703159783/?interstitial=1

Hi Tech Crime Solutions