Libsyn Directory

Inside FTK Imager Pro: Vendor-Neutral Forensics, Smarter AI, And Exterro’s Forensic Vision

Release Date: 11/24/2025

On-Scene Digital Forensics: Winning Investigations Before The Lab

Forensic Focus

Stuart Hutchinson, VP of Sales at ADF Solutions, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about on-scene digital forensics and empowering first responders during the golden hour. Stuart shares his journey from 23 years with the Met Police — including a chance encounter in a New Scotland Yard lift that led him into Mac forensics and the vendor space at BlackBag, Cellebrite, Oxygen, and now ADF. With 99.9% of investigations involving a digital element, he argues that mishandling digital evidence at the scene is as damaging as trampling through traditional forensic evidence. The conversation...

How Distressing Material Shapes Investigator Well-Being

Forensic Focus

Dr. Fazeelat Duran, Assistant Professor in Psychology at the University of Birmingham, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about the psychological impact of working with distressing material in law enforcement roles. Drawing on her recent longitudinal study — the first of its kind to follow newly recruited secondary investigators and analysts from day one through 18 months in role — Dr. Duran explains how repeated, indirect exposure to traumatic material shapes mental health over time. She walks through the trajectory her team observed at six, 12, and 18 months, the concept of "dosage...

DFIR In 2026 – AI ‘Button Pusher’ Forensics, Writing Courtroom Reports, Audio Breakthroughs And The Leica Geosystems Conference

Forensic Focus

Si and Desi discuss a range of digital forensics topics, from writing forensic reports that juries can actually understand, to whether AI is coming for "button pusher" DFIR jobs. They explore plain language standards, the classic confusion between forensic "images" and pictures, and Brett Shavers' provocative blog post on AI and job security — leading into a wider discussion about the distinction between technicians and analysts in digital forensics. Si shares highlights from the Leica Geosystems Conference, including fascinating audio forensics research by Henry Vega on deriving vehicle...

Policing's Well-Being Problem: Stigma, Isolation And The Retention Crisis

Forensic Focus

Dr Sarah-Jane Lennie, Associate Professor at the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Uniformed Public Services at Anglia Ruskin University, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about mental health and well-being in policing — and the often-overlooked toll on police families. Drawing on 17 years as a police officer before moving into academia, Dr Lennie shares the moment her own mental health forced a career-defining decision, and how that experience shaped her research into the culture of silencing, stigma, and emotional masking that still pervades policing today. She explains why the...

Rob Fried On New Challenges In Digital Forensics

Forensic Focus

Rob Fried, digital forensics consultant, author, and assistant professor at Hofstra University, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about the evolving challenges of forensic practice, AI in investigations, and his latest book. Rob discusses his annual publication cadence — now in its fourth edition — and how each year's content is shaped by real cases, collaborations, and emerging topics in the DFIR community. This year's edition tackles AI policy, data culling strategy, and the documentation practices that keep forensic work defensible in court. The conversation also covers the...

Preparing Investigators For Trauma Exposure In Digital Forensics

Forensic Focus

📝 Complete the Forensic Focus International Well-Being Study: https://www.forensicfocus.com/survey Bunmi Bloom, co-founder of Sena Forensics, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to discuss the emotional reality of working in digital forensics and the psychological toll of long-term exposure to traumatic material. Drawing on her background with the Metropolitan Police and the Financial Conduct Authority, Bunmi reflects on how DFIR practitioners navigate disturbing images, case reports, and the pressure to “stay strong and get on with it.” The conversation explores coping mechanisms inside...

Covert Cyber Investigator Well-Being With Carol Brooks

Forensic Focus

📝 Take The Surveys An Exploratory Study of Covert Cyber Investigators and the Psychological Factors Impacting on Personal Resilience and Investigative Decision-Making Forensic Focus International Well-Being Study Carol Brooks, a cyber and organisational psychologist and leadership consultant, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to discuss her PhD research into covert cyber investigators and the psychological factors that shape their resilience and investigative decision-making. She explains what it really means to work “covertly” online and why inconsistent job titles across law...

Forensic Focus International Well-Being Study - Have Your Say

Forensic Focus

Phil Anderson from Northumbria University joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to discuss the launch of the Forensic Focus International Well-Being Study — a global research project examining the psychological and physical impact of digital forensic work across both law enforcement and the private sector. Drawing on his 24-year academic career and long-standing collaboration with Northumbria Police, Phil explains how digital forensics units have evolved and why DFIs are facing unprecedented levels of stress, burnout, and workload pressure. Together with host Paul, he outlines the four core...

Si And Desi’s Holiday Special 2025

Forensic Focus

Si and Desi close out the year on the Forensic Focus Podcast with a wide-ranging end-of-2025 wrap-up, reflecting on how the year unfolded for the show and the DFIR community. They discuss the mental health series, guest appearances, and how everyday technologies — from streaming services to wearables — are increasingly intersecting with forensic investigations, even when people don’t realise it. The conversation then broadens to bigger technology shifts, including the rapid rise of AI and its legal, ethical, and societal implications. Si and Desi explore bias, misinformation, validation,...

Oxygen Forensics On Smarter, Faster Remote DFIR Collections

Forensic Focus

Keith Lockhart from Oxygen Forensics joins Si and Desi on the Forensic Focus Podcast to examine how remote digital evidence collection is changing investigative workflows across DFIR, eDiscovery, and corporate investigations. Drawing on recent XiB mobile training and real-world deployments, Keith explains where remote and agent-based acquisition delivers practical benefits—and where traditional hands-on methods remain essential. The discussion covers targeted versus full acquisitions, consent and governance in corporate environments, and the operational realities of collecting data across...

More Episodes

Justin Tolman from Exterro joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about the future of FTK and the role FTK Imager still plays in everyday casework. He explains why the original free version remains available, and what prompted the introduction of Imager Pro with added capabilities like BitLocker decryption and iOS collections. Justin also reflects on his time in law enforcement and training, and why the investigative side of the work still holds a strong pull.

Looking ahead, Justin shares where FTK development is headed — from large-scale processing and streamlined review workflows to Whisper-based audio transcription and careful, targeted use of AI for tasks like summarising long documents and cross-media searching. He also previews Exterro’s upcoming Inform event — a 15-hour global broadcast featuring talks from practitioners around the world — and invites the community to get involved.

#DigitalForensics #DFIR #FTK #Exterro #ForensicImaging #MobileForensics #IncidentResponse

00:00 Welcome to the Forensic Focus Podcast

00:31 Introducing Justin Tolman from Exterro

01:46 Justin's Journey into Forensics

03:10 Transition to Training and Exterro

06:31 FTK Imager Pro: Features and Benefits

14:36 Training and Community Resources

16:29 Updates on FTK Suite and Scalability

19:10 On-Prem vs. Cloud Solutions

26:57 AI in Forensics: Benefits and Challenges

37:45 Addressing AI Bias in Forensics

38:53 Case Study: AI Misinterpretation in Seattle Shooting