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HOW THE METAVERSE IS CHALLENGING FORENSIC INVESTIGATION
The Metaverse is a phenomenon that is rapidly evolving and taking shape as a services platform and mediating ecosystem for human computer interaction. It currently has an abstract and incoherent profile that challenges human imagination to visualise what is socially, technically, and commercially viable. It opens technology experiences for futures speculation and exploration of what can be done better. The utopia is to deliver a seamless and encapsulating human life experience that has no negative impacts and a strong sense of personal wellbeing.
VISUALISING IOT/IIOT DATA WITH RECHARTS & INFLUXDB
IoT Data may be harvested from a wide range of sensors used in manufacturing infrastructure, weather stations, smart meters, cars, fridges, and many other devices. All this data has to be processed in order to make one interpretable data feed. This subsequent data feed will then help with reverse engineering and failure prediction. In this article we develop a visualisation platform that will display disparate IoT data for further analysis and the two technologies we will primarily be using are ‘React’ and ‘InfluxDB’.
DEFENDING RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE – LIVE FIRE EXERCISE
The UK-run Exercise DEFENCE CYBER MARVEL (Ex DCM) series are cyber exercises like no other. While the organisers, planners and participants are predominantly members of the British Army’s Royal Corps of Signals, the exercise brings together people across UK Government, Defence, Reservists, Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and international industry to plan and execute a unique event for 39 teams from Defence (including Regular, Reserve and Civil Service personnel), Government and 15 partner nations, participating from over 12 countries, including 15 teams in Tallinn. This article was written in collaboration with the Royal Corps of Signals. Typically, government and Defence led cyber exercises are capture the flag (CTF) challenges more akin to a pub quiz than a bar brawl, and even ‘live fire’ cyber exercises tend to be straight-faced affairs with ‘Blue Teams’ (BT) defending their respective networks against a closely controlled ‘Red Team’ (RT).
CRACKING THE FORENSIC INVESTIGATIONS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
While it may not seem like the technology landscape was all that different in 2014 versus today, consider the sheer magnitude of innovation that’s since transpired. Back then, shooting HD video on the iPhone had only recently been introduced, onboard storage options maxed out at 64GB, automated cloud backup services like iCloud were still in their infancy, and social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram were still primarily limited to photos and text. These days, we can buy phones that can record in 8k and can store up to 1TB of data, that seamlessly integrate with a multitude of cloud services to ensure we never lose our data, and can document our lives in vivid detail using an assortment of multimedia formats across a growing expanse of mobile apps.
INVESTIGATORS IN DANGER
While data leaks and breaches are a serious issue for any organisation, for digital forensic teams it presents an even more consequential risk. Due to the sensitive work undertaken by police and other public sector bodies, especially in areas such as Northern Ireland, where assaults on police reached a five-year-high in 2023, data leaks can leave staff, victims, witnesses and even perpetrators in significant danger. This risk is heightened further when you consider the type of work these teams do. As part of their responsibilities, digital forensic investigators will often be handling devices containing material of unknown origin and intent. On top of this, as part of their investigations, they can be required to visit areas of the web which are unsecured, or access attachments and files which could contain malware or other malicious payloads.
Plus all the regular features…
Briefing Papers
Cyber Security and Resilience Bill: Beyond Cyber
The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill modernises the UK’s NIS framework but remains heavily cyber-centric. This briefing argues that true national resilience depends on recognising data centres, utilities, ports and other CNI as cyber-physical systems. Protecting the digital built environment—power, cooling, OT, building services and engineering systems—is essential, with RSES offering a key competence pathway.
Continue ReadingCyber Security and Resilience Bill: A Comprehensive Review of the UK’s Next-Generation Cyber Law
The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill modernises the UK’s NIS framework, expanding obligations across essential services, cloud platforms, MSPs and critical suppliers. This briefing explores the Bill’s scope, enforcement powers, industry pushback, and its implications for regulators, government, consumers, and the DFIR community—highlighting how the legislation could reshape national cyber-resilience for years ahead.
Continue ReadingIndependent Research on the Economic Impact of Cyber Attacks on the UK
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) commissioned new research quantifying the true cost of cyber attacks on the UK economy. This DFM briefing analyses findings across business, consumer, and infrastructure impacts—revealing how cyber incidents now represent a measurable drag on national productivity, competitiveness, and long-term economic resilience.
Continue ReadingDigital Forensics in UK Law Enforcement: Productivity, Pressure, and the Path Ahead
Digital forensics in UK law enforcement stands at a turning point. The National Audit Office’s 2025 Police Productivity report exposes rising digital demand, fragmented governance, and critical skills shortages. This briefing analyses the findings, links them to forensic capability and reform, and outlines how national standardisation could transform police productivity and justice outcomes.
Continue ReadingLatest News
NEWS ROUNDUP – 26th November 2025
The latest 48 hours saw coordinated attacks on London councils, a breach at Harvard, and ransomware disrupting US emergency alerts. Industrial firm Balkrishna Paper Mills and major banking vendor SitusAMC also reported compromises. Active exploitation of a FortiWeb zero-day, a revived npm worm campaign, and a huge Android fiction-app data leak round out a high-impact period.
Continue ReadingNEWS ROUNDUP – 24th November 2025
The past 48 hours saw major activity across DFIR, investigations and global threat intelligence, with ransomware playbooks, supply-chain breaches and identity-system zero-days dominating the landscape. Law-enforcement operations intensified across Asia, while G7 nations advanced cyber-policy coordination. Key updates highlight the growing convergence of identity, vendor ecosystems and human factors as critical security priorities.
Continue ReadingNEWS ROUNDUP – 21st November 2025
A turbulent 48 hours saw fresh SaaS supply-chain breaches, a ransomware hit on an LG battery subsidiary, and renewed scrutiny of backup resilience and offline records. Law enforcement ran large-scale fraud crackdowns across India and arrested a Russian hacking suspect in Thailand, while new UK and US policy moves tightened expectations on incident reporting, sanctions and third-party risk.
Continue ReadingNEWS ROUNDUP – 19th November 2025
The past 48–72 hours saw major updates across global cyber operations, including Cloudflare’s root-cause analysis of its worldwide outage, resurging exploits against Cisco IOS XE and Ivanti EPMM, and active Chrome zero-day attacks. Law enforcement advanced ransomware-laundering investigations, while Japan and the EU issued new cyber-strategy and election-security guidance.
Continue ReadingLatest Blog Articles
UK Acts on Weak Link in Modern Infrastructure
The UK is strengthening national resilience by overhauling its Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) infrastructure—vital for transport, energy, finance and digital services. With rising threats from GNSS jamming, spoofing and electronic warfare, the UK is shifting to a layered, secure PNT architecture to protect critical systems and ensure continuity across the modern digital economy.
Continue ReadingWhen AI Becomes the Hacker
The first fully autonomous AI-driven cyber-espionage campaign marks a turning point in national-level cyber operations. Anthropic’s investigation into the state-aligned GTG-1002 group reveals how AI executed up to 90% of the intrusion lifecycle—reconnaissance, exploitation, lateral movement, and data theft—at machine speed. DFIR teams now face a new era of AI-orchestrated, high-velocity attacks.
Continue ReadingUK Appoints Its First Fraud Minister
The UK’s first Fraud Minister marks a decisive shift in tackling the nation’s fastest-growing crime. With rising digital scams, cross-border criminal networks, and fragmented data sharing, Lord Hanson’s three-year strategy aims to realign incentives, strengthen real-time intelligence, and restore the UK’s leadership in fraud prevention. Success now depends on rapid coordination across banks, telecoms, social platforms and law enforcement.
Continue ReadingAn Evaluation of the UK’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Legislative Framework
The UK’s cybersecurity and privacy laws have expanded rapidly in response to rising digital threats, yet questions remain about their real-world impact. This analysis evaluates the effectiveness, enforcement, and complexity of the UK’s legislative framework, drawing on insights from the WCIT Security Panel and national evidence to assess whether current laws genuinely strengthen resilience across sectors.
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