Briefing Centre
In Depth Briefing Documents
The Briefing Centre is for Subscribers Only
Our researchers create unique, in depth briefing documents on topics of the day.
These briefings are research articles looking in-depth at a particular topic of the day.
Enterprise Connected Devices
Enterprise connected devices now underpin physical security, operational technology and digital infrastructure across UK organisations. This briefing examines how government policy from DSIT aligns with technical guidance from NCSC, NPSA and NACE, highlighting overlaps, tensions and practical implications for DFIR teams responsible for investigation, resilience and evidence preservation across increasingly converged cyber-physical environments within modern enterprise security and incident response.
Using Mobile Device Geodata to Confirm Location
Mobile device geolocation has become a critical evidential source in digital investigations. This briefing examines how smartphones determine location using GNSS, cellular networks, Wi-Fi, and device sensors. It explores the reliability of these technologies, the risks of spoofing and manipulation, and how investigators can validate location data through multi-source correlation and forensic analysis to strengthen evidential confidence.
DFM Briefing on the UK Forensic Science Regulator Guidance [GUI-0004]
FSR-GUI-0004 sets clear expectations for how forensic evidence should be interpreted and communicated within the Criminal Justice System. This briefing explains the guidance’s scope, regulatory intent, and practical requirements, including evaluative reasoning, likelihood ratios, bias control, and competence. It assesses implications for digital forensics and incident response, highlighting operational challenges, risks, and areas where implementation discipline will determine credibility outcomes.
The UK Government Cyber Action Plan (2026): A Structural Reset for Cyber Governance — Credibility, Deliverability, and the Risks That Remain
The UK Government Cyber Action Plan (2026) marks a decisive shift from advisory cyber policy to enforceable, cross-government governance. It introduces a central risk “spine” within DSIT, clarifies accountability for departments and suppliers, and reframes outages and attacks as equivalent resilience failures. This briefing assesses credibility, deliverability, skills and industry reliance, legislative dependencies, and the unanswered questions that will determine success.
Geopolitical Shock Events and Cyber Spillover Risk – Implications for Digital Investigations and the Wider Cyber Domain (Iran/IRGC Turbulence and U.S. Military Action in Venezuela)
This DFM Briefing examines how concurrent geopolitical shock events involving Iran, the IRGC, and U.S. military action in Venezuela reshape the cyber threat landscape. It analyses implications for digital investigations, attribution, evidence integrity, and DFIR operations, highlighting heightened cyber noise, influence operations, and the growing risk of evidence pollution in politically contested environments.
UK Forensic Science Regulator – Statutory Code of Practice V2 – Digital Forensics Practitioners Briefing
This briefing examines Version 2 of the Forensic Science Regulator’s Statutory Code of Practice through the lens of the digital forensics practitioner. It explains why the Code exists, outlines key changes from Version 1, and critically analyses the requirements that directly affect digital investigations, evidential integrity, quality management, and courtroom admissibility.
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