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

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 speeds and weapon calibers from sound recordings, and Swedish police reconstructions of a mass shooting using audio evidence and Unreal Engine walkthroughs. The pair also explore the forensic challenges of AI-generated code, agentic processes on endpoints, and the security risks of consumer AI tools.

#DFIR #DigitalForensics #AI #PrivacyParadox #AudioForensics

00:00 Welcome

00:34 Writing Clear Forensic Reports

01:20 Visual Timelines and Storytelling

06:52 Jargon Pitfalls and Glossaries

10:50 Old Media and Blu-Ray News

12:16 UPS Backups and Failing NAS

16:58 AI Will Replace Button Pushers

18:58 Technician vs Analyst Debate

25:54 Backlogs, Privacy and Evidence

34:39 Privacy Paradox and Distrust

42:45 AI Writes Podcast Intro

43:52 Copyright Lawsuit Talk

45:24 Claude vs ChatGPT Coding

48:48 Forensic Traces of AI

50:16 Agentic IR Attribution

53:43 Consumer Agents Security Risks

59:13 Leica Conference Highlights

01:01:09 Audio Forensics Breakthroughs

01:06:44 Image Forgery History

01:12:58 Chunnel Travel

01:17:36 Wrap-Up

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🎧 Video/Transcript: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/dfir-in-2026-ai-button-pusher-forensics-writing-courtroom-reports-audio-breakthroughs-and-the-leica-geosystems-conference/

Show Notes

'If you suck at your DFIR job, AI is going to take it.' (Brett Shavers) – https://brettshavers.com/brett-s-blog/entry/if-you-suck-at-your-dfir-job-ai-is-going-to-take-it

'Sony shuts down production of recordable CD-R, DVD-R and BD-R discs' (Azernews) – https://www.azernews.az/region/228058.html

Ross Ulbricht (Wikipedia) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Ulbricht

'Regulator contacts Meta over workers watching intimate AI glasses videos' (BBC) – https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q33nvj0qpo

'Why people don't demand data privacy – even as governments and corporations collect more personal information' (The Conversation) – https://theconversation.com/why-people-dont-demand-data-privacy-even-as-governments-and-corporations-collect-more-personal-information-262197

'Evaluating privacy - determining user privacy expectations on the web' (Science Direct) – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167404821000651

'The privacy paradox: Stay one step ahead of it' (Data Guard) – https://www.dataguard.com/blog/privacy-paradox/

Oxford Guide to Plain English (Amazon) – https://amzn.eu/d/09dj8Gr8

Placing the Suspect Behind the Keyboard: Using Digital Forensics and Investigative Techniques to Identify Cybercrime Suspects (Amazon) – https://amzn.eu/d/08fpfTny

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