Digital Forensics

Group: Faculty Bio Page

Chad Steel

Title: Adjunct Professor

Groups: Faculty Bio Page

Chad M.S. Steel has been in the digital forensics field for over 20 years.  He wrote the seminal book on Windows forensics in 2006, and has conducted hundreds of digital forensics examinations.  He currently performs digital behavioral analysis work, combining both psychology and digital evidence to inform everything from criminal investigations to insider threat matters.

Degrees
PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Edinburgh
MS in Forensic Psychology, Arizona State University
MS in Computer Engineering, Villanova University
BS in Computer Engineering, Villanova University

Research Interests and Current Projects

Technology-facilitated crimes against children; cybercrime; digital profiling.

Generative Artificial Intelligence Application Usage and Self Generated Sexualized Image Sharing by Teens (IRB Study STUDY00000257).

Selected Research

Windows Forensics: The Field Guide for Corporate Computer Investigations. Chad M.S. Steel. Wiley, 2006.

Public perception of individuals who commit Child Sexual Abuse Material offences: Exploring the impact of demographic variables and cross-national differences Eva Langvik, Tale R. Størdal, Chad M.S. Steel, Lisbet F. Christiansen, Anne Iversen. Child Abuse and Neglect. July 2024.

Artificial intelligence and CSEM – A Research Agenda Chad M.S. Steel. Child Protection and Practice. June 2024.

Technical Profiles of Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders Chad M.S. Steel, Emily Newman, Suzanne O’Rourke, Ethel Quayle. Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law. February 2023.

Improving Child Sexual Exploitation Material Investigations: Recommendations Based on a Review of Recent Research Findings Chad M.S. Steel, Emily Newman, Suzanne O’Rourke, Ethel Quayle. The Police Journal. November 2022.

Lawless Space Theory for Online Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offending Chad M.S. Steel, Emily Newman, Suzanne O’Rourke, Ethel Quayle. Aggression and Violent Behavior. November 2022.

Suicidal Ideation in Offenders Convicted of Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offences Chad M.S. Steel, Emily Newman, Suzanne O’Rourke, Ethel Quayle. Behavioral Sciences and the Law. January 2022.

Stolen Identity Valuation and Market Evolution on the Dark Web.  Chad M.S. Steel.  International Journal of Cyber Criminality.  June 2019.

The Technical SODDI Defenses: The Trojan Horse Defense Revisited. Chad M.S. Steel. Journal of Digital Forensics, Security, and the Law. January 2015.

Idiographic Digital Profiling: Behavioral Analysis Based on Digital Forensics. Chad M.S. Steel. Journal of Digital Forensics, Security, and the Law. August 2014.

The Mask-SIFT Cascading Classifier for Pornography Detection. Chad M.S. Steel. Internet Security (WorldCIS), 2012 World Congress on, 2012.

Child Pornography in Peer-to-Peer Networks. Chad M.S. Steel.  Child Abuse and Neglect, 2009.

Building a Multisite Web Architecture. Chad M.S. Steel. IEEE Internet Computing. October 2002.

 [email protected]

Brienne Douglas

Title: Adjunct Professor

Groups: Faculty Bio Page

Credentials:
MS in Computer Forensics, George Mason University
BS in Computer Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz

Courses:
Digital Forensics Analysis

 [email protected]

Akette Cowart

Title: Adjunct Professor

Groups: Faculty Bio Page

Akette Cowart currently serves as the Manager of a Cyber Investigations Program with the federal government where he conducts forensic analysis related to internal investigations. He has spent over 25 years in the Information Technology field with a majority dedicated to Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics. An Air Force veteran, he has also worked with the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps as a Cyber Security and Defense professional. Prior to his current position, he served as a Digital Forensic Examiner for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and US Customs and Border Protection.

Credentials:
MS in Digital Forensic Science
BS in Computer Forensics and Digital Investigations
CISSP, CCME, CCO, CCPA, GCFE

Courses:
Cloud Forensics

 [email protected]

Jim Jones

Title: Associate Professor

Groups: Faculty Bio Page, Faculty Homepage

Jim Jones has been a cyber security and digital forensics practitioner, researcher, and educator for over 30 years in industry, government, and academia. That experience drives his teaching, which blends theory and practical applications, and his research, which focuses on the extraction, analysis, and manipulation of full and partial digital artifacts. Jim, his colleagues, and his students spend their days and nights examining digital systems of all types to understand how data persists and decays on these systems, and how such behavior and data can be used, manipulated, and verified to find malware infections and compromised systems, detect system and device misuse, link disparate devices and entities, effect and detect deception activities, and recover lost data.

Jim’s research funding comes from industry and the US Government. Past and current funded research sponsors include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the United States Department of Defense (DoD). He has degrees in Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s), Mathematical Sciences (Master’s), and Computational Sciences and Informatics (PhD). This formal education is complemented by work experience and extensive self-learning, driven by an insatiable curiosity and a desire to know how things work, how they break, and what we can learn from both.

Credentials:
PhD, Computational Sciences and Informatics – George Mason University (2008)
MS, Mathematical Sciences – Clemson University (1995)
BS, Industrial and Systems Engineering – Georgia Tech (1989)

Courses:
Forensic Artifact Extraction

Digital Forensics Analysis

[email protected]

703-993-5599

Robert Osgood

Bob Osgood, Director, MS in Computer Forensics and Data Analytics, Electrical & Computer Engineering. VSE Open Call. Photo by: Ron Aira/Creative Services/George Mason University

Title: Director - DFOR/TCOM

Groups: Faculty Bio Page, Faculty Homepage

Mr. Osgood retired from 26 years as an FBI agent specializing in Computer Forensics, Cyber-Crime, Enterprise Criminal Organizations, Espionage and Counter-Terrorism. In the course of his work, he has performed computer forensics research and development and created unique new software tools for computer forensic law enforcement. He has also been employed as Project Director for ManTech Intl. Corp. working in the computer forensic intrusion analysis division.

Mr. Osgood formed the first FBI computer forensics squad in 2000 and was part of the team that executed the first court authorized digital computer intercept. In addition, he is along with Prof. Jeremy Allnutt, the original designers of the CFRS Masters program at George Mason University.

Credentials:
MS Telecommunications – George Mason University
Certified Computer Forensics Examiner – FBI
Windows, Mac, and Linux
Certified Technically Trained Agent – FBI
Certified Public Accountant – New York State

Courses:
Network Forensics
Digital Media Forensics
Fraud and Forensic Accounting

Fall 2024 Office hours:
Thursday(s): 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

 [email protected]

 703-993-5443