Digital Forensic Investigation Services in Vancouver
Digital forensics is the scientific process of collecting, preserving, analyzing and presenting electronic evidence. When legal disputes involve digital evidence, when employees steal data, when a company suffers a cyber breach, or when law enforcement needs technical expertise for a criminal investigation, digital forensic examiners provide the evidence and testimony that courts require.
Sherlock Forensics has been providing digital forensic investigation services in Vancouver since 2006. Our principal examiner, Ryan Purita, has been qualified as an expert witness in 7 court cases in BC Provincial Court and BC Supreme Court. He holds CISSP, ISSAP and ISSMP certifications along with EnCase and FTK forensic software training. He has been featured on CBC Marketplace three times, on Global National, CTV and in the Globe and Mail for his forensic expertise.
Computer Forensics
Computer forensics involves the forensic examination of desktop computers, laptops, servers and storage media. We create forensically sound images of hard drives, SSDs and other storage devices using write-blocking hardware that prevents any modification of the original evidence. Every step of the process maintains chain of custody documentation suitable for Canadian court proceedings.
Common computer forensics cases we handle include:
- Employee Misconduct Investigations
- Examining company devices for evidence of data theft, intellectual property misappropriation, policy violations, unauthorized access and destruction of evidence. We recover deleted files, analyze USB device connection history, examine email archives and document internet activity.
- Civil Litigation Support
- Providing forensic evidence for family law disputes, partnership disagreements, fraud investigations, insurance claims and contract disputes. We present findings in affidavit format and provide expert witness testimony when required.
- Criminal Investigation Support
- Working with law enforcement and defense counsel on criminal cases involving digital evidence. Our examination methodology follows the guidelines established by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and meets the evidentiary standards of the Criminal Code of Canada.
- Data Recovery
- Recovering data from damaged, formatted or corrupted storage media. We work with physically damaged hard drives, SSDs with failed controllers, encrypted volumes and devices that have been intentionally wiped.
Cellphone and Mobile Forensics
Mobile devices contain some of the most critical evidence in modern investigations. Text messages, call logs, photos, videos, location data, app data, deleted content and encrypted communications can all be forensically extracted and analyzed.
Our cellphone forensics capabilities cover both iOS and Android devices. We use industry-standard tools to perform physical and logical extractions, recovering data that may not be visible through normal device operation. This includes deleted text messages, app data from messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, GPS location history, browser history and cached data from cloud services.
Mobile forensics is critical in family law cases, workplace investigations, harassment cases, fraud investigations and criminal matters. The data on a mobile device frequently tells a more complete story than any other single source of evidence.
eDiscovery
Electronic discovery is the process of identifying, collecting, preserving, processing and producing electronically stored information (ESI) for use in legal proceedings. Canadian courts follow specific rules for eDiscovery under the Sedona Canada Principles and provincial practice directions.
We handle eDiscovery for law firms and corporate legal departments across Vancouver and throughout British Columbia. Our process includes defensible collection from custodian devices and cloud services, processing and de-duplication, keyword searching, technology-assisted review support and production in court-required formats.
Expert Witness Testimony
Not every forensic examiner can effectively present technical findings in court. Expert witness testimony requires the ability to explain complex technical concepts in plain language, to withstand rigorous cross-examination and to maintain credibility under adversarial questioning.
Ryan Purita has been qualified as an expert witness in 7 court cases. His courtroom experience spans both civil and criminal proceedings. He has testified on computer forensics methodology, digital evidence authentication, data recovery techniques and cybersecurity incident analysis. His qualifications have been accepted by judges in BC Provincial Court and BC Supreme Court.
Incident Response and Breach Investigation
When a security breach occurs, the forensic investigation must begin immediately. Evidence degrades as systems continue operating. Logs rotate. Attackers delete their traces. The first hours after discovery are critical for preserving the evidence needed to understand what happened, how it happened and what data was affected.
Our incident response service provides same-day on-site response across Metro Vancouver. We arrive with portable forensic collection equipment, create forensic images of affected systems, preserve volatile evidence from running systems and begin the analysis needed to contain the breach and support notification requirements under PIPEDA.
Why Court-Qualified Matters
Any forensic examiner can produce a report. But if that report needs to become evidence in court, the examiner must be able to demonstrate that their methodology is forensically sound, that chain of custody was maintained throughout the process and that their qualifications entitle them to offer expert opinions.
A forensic examination conducted without proper methodology can be challenged and excluded. Evidence collected without write-blocking can be argued to have been modified. An examiner without courtroom experience may not withstand cross-examination effectively.
Choosing a court-qualified examiner from the beginning protects the admissibility of the evidence and ensures that findings will hold up under legal scrutiny.
Offices in Burnaby and Coquitlam
Sherlock Forensics operates from two offices in Metro Vancouver: our head office in Burnaby and a second location in Coquitlam. Both offices are equipped for forensic evidence intake, secure evidence storage and client consultation. We serve clients throughout Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and across British Columbia.
Getting Started
If you need digital forensic services in Vancouver, contact us to discuss your case. We work with law firms, corporate legal departments, insurance companies, law enforcement and individuals. Initial consultations are confidential and can be conducted in person at either of our Metro Vancouver offices.