Digital forensic skills in Hong Kong lag behind West, expert says
Skilled sleuths can decode subtle clues in computerised evidence
Digital forensics skills in Hong Kong are lagging behind the United States and Britain, but the industry is improving, according to a US-based expert whose work provided crucial defence evidence in two high-profile court cases in Turkey.
"There is definitely less forensic capability in Hong Kong than there is in the US or the UK," said Mark Spencer, president of digital forensics firm Arsenal Consulting. But "that's starting to change," he said.
"There's a little bit more of the forensic and incidence response capability and also there's room for companies in Hong Kong to be better about proactive security," he said.
Spencer, who has 15 years' experience in the industry, said most of his work was subject to strict confidentiality clauses but two cases, both in Turkey, had been made public.
He cited the case of 237 Turkish soldiers accused in 2010 of plotting a military coup to oust the civilian government.
Spencer's firm was tasked with looking at digital evidence on two CDs and a hard drive that held alleged details of the coup, such as the planned bombing of a mosque and attacks on hospitals and other major buildings.