Full Access to Grayshift Digital Forensics Specialists: Josh Carder and Matt Fullerton
Episode 15
Listen now for Full Access to Josh Carder, Digital Forensics Specialist and Matt Fullerton, Digital Forensic Specialist at Grayshift. Learn how Josh and Matt have taken their previous experiences in law enforcement and have applied them to help generate awareness and interest in mobile digital forensics while at Grayshift.
[2:10] – Debbie asks Josh Carder and Matt Fullerton to provide some background on what the Digital Forensics team does at Grayshift
- Each member of the Digital Forensics Specialist (DFS) team at Grayshift has a background in law enforcement ranging from sworn law enforcement personnel, to defense department, to civilian support, providing an expertise that is leveraged both inside and outside of the organization.
- The DFS team wear many hats at Grayshift, ranging from providing technical support for sales, to conducting beta and alpha testing on new product features, to content creation and presentations at industry events.
- The DFS team has an international presence with team members in Japan, Ireland, Australia, and France providing more director support to customers and the organization regardless of their location.
[7:50] – Wilton and Matt discuss the challenges of keeping up with the latest technology
- Carder states that one way he stays on top of digital trends is to stay abreast of new operating systems updates when they come out.
- Fullerton and Carder prepare presentations and training sessions to keep the topics relevant to issues and challenges that customers are facing today.
- The DFS team has a worldwide presence, which helps them stay on top of things and share information with customers on a global scale.
[11:00] – Matt and Josh share their stories on how they started their careers in law enforcement
- Fullerton originally wanted to be in broadcasting but took a college-level class in criminal justice, which changed his career path to becoming a law enforcement officer starting with patrol and working his way up to investigations.
- Fullerton tells listeners about his journey to become a digital forensic specialist, which led to him becoming a digital forensic specialist with a law enforcement agency in Colorado.
- Carder has had a diverse career in law enforcement starting with the Arkansas State Police, where he got interested in criminal intelligence and ultimately ended up working in the private sector with the US Department of Defense where he focused on counter terrorism.
- Carder fell into the role of digital forensic specialist based on departmental needs and by expanding on his current skills with audio and video forensics.
[25:20] – Wilton asks Matt and Josh how they ended up working in digital forensics
- Fullerton shares that as a kid, he was naturally curious and loved to tinker with things, which made digital forensics investigative work seem like a natural fit.
- Fullerton continued to tell listeners that he has an insatiable appetite for learning, which led to his success in digital forensics.
- Carder indicated earlier in the podcast that he fell into the role of digital forensic specialist based on departmental needs and by expanding on his current skills with audio and video forensics.
[32:07] – Wilton asks Josh about his pervious experiences with GrayKey
- GrayKey was a game changer, said Carder, who said that he had several GrayKey devices when we were working in the private sector with the Department of Defense.
- Carder tells listeners that even if the phone was unlocked you still wanted to process it on a GK because of the amount of data that you can receive. Reducing the device backlog was something that Josh indicated that GrayKey did well.
[34:22] – Debbie asks Matt and Josh what the most interesting or impactful case was that he worked on in law enforcement
- Fullerton describes a domestic violence case where the alleged had been suspected of stalking a victim due to the overwhelming digital evidence provided. However, after further review of the digital evidence it showed that the victim had fabricated all the digital evidence and the case.
- Fullerton tells listeners that if he hadn’t had the tools to conduct the investigation, the suspect would have had a wrongful conviction on his record.
- Carder shares a story that focuses on a homicide at a gas station where audio and video evidence was paramount in the investigation.
[39:09] What is life like after law enforcement?
- Garner, Cleveland, Fullerton, and Carder all agreed and said that they still feel the need to be prepared for any type of situation and they carry a tourniquet or a belt with them – just in case.
- Being prepared for any situation is something that Garner, Cleveland, Fullerton, and Carder all view as something very important to share with their kids – even though they are out of law enforcement.
- Working in law enforcement is very stressful and while working at Grayshift can be stressful at times it is nowhere near as stressful as it used to be.
[47:28] Wilton asks Matt and Josh what they miss about being in law enforcement and what they do not miss about being in law enforcement
- Fullerton tells listeners that he misses his former colleagues that he used to work with and goes on to explain that there is a bond in law enforcement because you are often going through difficult experiences together and it’s not the same in the private sector.
- Digging into the evidence and being involved in solving a case is something that Carder tells listeners that he misses from his previous job in law enforcement.
[57:35] Wilton asks Matt to talk about the Grayshift Investigators Corner
- Fullerton explains that the Investigator’s Corner is a site where the Digital Forensics Specialist team shares technical information for vetted law enforcement customers and discusses the type of content that is featured on the Investigators Corner.
- Fullerton shares that the goal of the Investigators Corner is to provide our customers with information that they can leverage in their investigations.
[61:02] – Closing out the episode: Garner asks what advice you would give to those who are just starting out in digital forensics
- Fullerton offers listeners the advice of if you have an interest in something get behind it and harness it, don’t get discouraged. He expands to tell listeners that they should not be afraid to test phones and play around with them to get more experience, just don’t do it on evidentiary devices
- Carder shared that you should never be afraid to ask for help from others. There are always people and resources that you can leverage if you need assistance. Carder also stressed that you should try to stay on top of your mental wellbeing. The job can be very challenging, so you want to stay in front of these issues.
Both Josh and Matt encouraged listeners to visit the Investigator’s Corner or to contact anyone on the Digital Forensic Specialist team directly at Digitalforensics@grayshift.com
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