Introduction
Champlain College offers its students a plethora of opportunities and resources. I have been lucky enough to take advantage of these resources during my short time here with an internship at the Senator Patrick Leahy Center for Digital Investigation. I can say that I left the internship with experience in a professional work environment, as well as practical knowledge in digital forensics research. It also allowed me to attend Enfuse, a digital forensics conference hosted by Guidance Software. For the first time I was surrounded by cybersecurity and digital forensics professionals. Enfuse 2017 was an amazing experience for both learning and professional development.
As a first time attendee, I was a bit overwhelmed by the conference. There were so many people, so many faces, and so much information to absorb. The sessions were lecture or lab based, and covered a range of topics, such as forensics, security, litigation, password cracking, certifications and more. Surrounded by the classrooms, labs, and lecture halls was the expo hall, where professionals showed off various software, hardware and services available through their respective companies. All of these things ensured that my busy schedule provided me with a wide variety of experiences.
Session Highlights – Social Media: Digital Evidence
Of the many sessions I attended, I was most impressed by Social Media: Digital Evidence Preservation and Innovative Technology Developments. As an avid user of social media ,the focus on potential evidence that these sites can contain caught my eye during class registration. The lecture was presented by Julie Lewis, CEO, President and founder of Digital Mountain. Founded in 2003, Digital Mountain specializes in digital forensics, cyber security and e-discovery. Lewis is a very experienced security professional and a gifted presenter. She was engaged with the audience, funny, focused, and confident in her role. Lewis spoke about the use of social media evidence in both criminal and civil investigations, forensically sound methods of acquisition and tools used to collect evidence.
Other Conference Highlights
Guidance Software, the hosts of the conference, provided a fun and friendly atmosphere for attendees. Swag from Guidance, sponsors and vendors was everywhere. Many of my fellow students were lucky enough to win gift cards and other prizes. There was a heavy focus on pins, which were given for participation in activities such as sinking a putt or attending the SANS DFIR Netwars Tournament.
This was also my first time in Las Vegas, and as I looked out the window of the plane as I landed I was amazed. Hidden within the dark, empty desert was a sprawling city. Movies and TV don’t do any justice in showing the overwhelming stimuli of lights, people, and buildings on The Strip. In my spare time, I ventured from Caesar’s Palace to walk the strip, go mini golfing and more. It was all so much and I felt as if I could have spent the rest of my life exploring the city. I think my favorite restaraunt was at Gordon Ramsay’s Pub and Grill in Caesar’s Palace; I highly recommend it!
Conclusion
The knowledge, connections and experiences I gained at Enfuse will stay with me forever. To my fellow Champlain students, I can safely say it was the best experience I’ve had here so far and cannot recommend the trip enough. To learn more about the LCDI, take a look at our Facebook and Twitter pages or send an email to lcdi@champlain.edu!