Ryan Russo, Denver Criminal Forensic Scientist, Discusses His Career Choice

As computers become more and more prominent, infusing more aspects of the daily world we live in, new career opportunities become available. Some of these career choices would be familiar to people who lived in the 1950s, as these jobs are quite similar to the jobs held by people back then. The main difference involves the tools of the trade. Where 1950s workers might have relied upon the telephone or face-to-face interactions, modern workers rely on computers. Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, has one of these familiar, but different, modern jobs. He uses a computer to perform investigative work.

In the field of forensics, professionals attempt to travel back in time and determine what actually took place, when all of the lies and deception that cloud the issue have been stripped away. In the modern world, this means delving into computers and smartphones. With access to these tools, Ryan Russo can quickly determine what the person looked at, and what the person did, in the vital minutes and hours just before and just after a crime took place. He can also use sophisticated techniques to determine what the person has been trying to hide from an investigation like this.

In the 1950s, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, would have called colleagues of the person in question, examined library records, performed credit checks and perhaps performed surveillance of the person’s living quarters. All of this pavement pounding, even when done well, might not have provided him with the clear picture he can obtain with just a few moments of checking on the computer.

When his investigation is complete, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist is sometimes asked to provide expert testimony in a court of law. This might be the one aspect of the position that hasn’t changed since the 1950s. Experts are often asked to outline what they saw, and what they thought, when they are finished with their research, and they’re often asked to explain their findings in terms almost anyone could understand.

Ryan Russo, Denver Scientist, on Corporate Protection

Employees with user names and passwords can quickly and easily steal valuable information from the companies they work for. With just a few clicks of the mouse, they can pull data from company servers onto tiny stick drives, and they can sell that information to the highest bidder, and pull down a tidy profit in the process. It's a serious issue for companies that produce electronics, as well as any company that produces plans or instructions that could be stolen by the competition. While there's no way to ensure that employees won't steal from the companies they work for, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, says there are some things companies can do to ensure that the damage they face is kept to a minimum.

 For starters, Ryan Russo says, companies can closely monitor those people they choose to fire or lay off. It's common for layoffs to take place in closed-door meetings, and the employees are then allowed time to pack up their desks and say goodbye to their colleagues. In these moments, some employees choose to sabotage the companies they worked for, logging onto the system and unleashing viruses or stealing information. It's a dangerous time, and it should be handled accordingly. Companies would do best to inactivate any employee passwords when that employee is in a firing meeting. That's the best way to ensure that nothing terrible takes place.

 Next, companies should ensure that their network activity is closely monitored, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist says. Unusual spikes in activity, taking place late at night, could point to a hacker, as could frequent visits to a database placed by someone who hasn't accessed that database in the past. A simple question, based on those unusual patterns, could separate the guilty from the innocent, Ryan Russo says, and help keep the company safe in the process.

Ryan Russo, Denver Criminal Forensic Scientist, Discusses Employee Theft

When people think about employees stealing from their employers, they may think of missing staplers, paperclips and pencils. While it's true that some employees stock up their home offices using supplies they stuff in their coat pockets before they go home at night, true employee theft can be much more costly. According to Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, some employees steal items that are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and these employees might be hard to spot, as their coats don't bulge with the things they're taking out of the office each night.

Ryan Russo, Denver Criminal Forensic Scientist, works in the field of electronic forensics. In his work, he uses computer records, cell phone records and more to determine what someone has been doing, and what that person might be hiding. For his corporate clients, Ryan Russo is often asked to investigate the deeds of current or former employees.

Employees of major companies have access to a staggering amount of information. With a quick user name and password, these employees can look for the names and addresses of current clients, and they can use that information to steal away future profits. Employees who want to start their own businesses, without spending money on finding their own clients, often resort to this trick, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist says.

Those who wish to make fast money can also steal proprietary information from the companies they work for, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist says. Building plans, project specifications and more could all be sold to competing companies, making the employee a quick profit for just a few moments of risk and work. The losses for the company could be catastrophic. Thankfully, forensic experts can often identify the person who has committed the theft, which may help the company to prosecute and obtain some of the losses through judicial means.

Ryan Russo, Denver Criminal Forensic Scientist, on Digital Storage

As companies continue to embrace digital technology, they also continue to store more and more information on online databases, rather than in locked file cabinets. While these electronic storage solutions may seem cheaper, at least in the beginning, they can also be slightly less secure than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, explains why this is the case.

Online databases used by major companies often require users to create long, sophisticated passwords that contain both numbers and figures. Employees might also be required to change these passwords on a regular basis, or they'll be refused access to the information stored online. It all sounds like an ideal solution, says Ryan Russo, Denver Criminal Forensic Scientist, but most employees don't take online security very seriously. They write down their passwords on Post-It notes they place in their drawers or on the walls of their cubicles. They share their passwords with friends. They make their passwords ridiculously easy to remember. All of these little decisions, made each day, can become big headaches for companies, as each decision is a break in security. Put too many together, and a breach could take place.

In addition, Ryan Russo, Denver Criminal Forensic Scientist says, companies often upset their employees. They terminate their employment, cut back on their benefits, switch the coffee provided in the lunchroom or otherwise make small changes that can bring about big reactions in even mild-mannered employees. When employees are inflamed in this way, and they have access to the database, they can do a significant amount of damage without drawing undue attention. Covertly deleting files is easy, while burning down a file room in secret might be hard. Without proper backup procedures, companies could lose all of their information in just a few moments.

Ryan Russo, Denver Scientist, on Email Privacy

When email was first introduced, people were reminded that the medium wasn't considered secure. In computer classes held all around the world, students were told that they should never say anything in an email message that they wouldn't feel comfortable sharing on a community bulletin board. It's good advice, and according to Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, it's advice that many people seem to have forgotten, as public comfort with email technology has continued to grow.

Email servers are remarkably easy to hack, Ryan Russo says, as the messages themselves often bounce about in the digital atmosphere before they reach their intended recipient. A message might originate in Boston and travel all the way to India before it finally reaches its reader in New York. This travel might only take a few minutes to complete, but all along the journey, hackers could be provided with the perfect opportunity to intercept that message and copy it.

An email message is also not secure, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist says, because that message can easily be passed along by the person it's been sent to. With one click of the mouse, that message could be sent to a friend, who could send it to a friend, who could send it to a friend. All of a sudden, a private message intended for the eyes of only one person becomes a public message that's sent to hundreds or even millions. Pulling that message back into the realm of the private might be impossible, simply because the author may have no idea how many other people have access to the original note.

When it comes to online privacy, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist claims that no perfect solution exists. Anything that can be produced online might also be reproduced online, and even deleted files can resurface, due to the work of sophisticated computer programmers. Russo suggests that people who need to discuss sensitive information do so via telephone or via in-person meetings. 

Ryan Russo, Denver Criminal Forensic Scientist and Business Owner, on Hiring Employees

Ryan Russo is a successful forensic scientist and the President and CEO of a company that provides these services to both corporate and individual clients. In the beginning of his career, when he was just getting started and beginning to develop a positive reputation, Ryan Russo could handle all of this clients on his own, without the help of any other employees. Now, as the firm has brought in more work, he's been asked to hire employees to help him share the load. These are the steps he takes to ensure that the people he hires are right for the positions he needs to fill.

For Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, professional skills are key to any successful hire. Each employee he hires will be asked to represent the company to clients both new and old, and as a result, those employees simply must have excellent professional skills. They must know how to do the scientific portions of their jobs properly, so they'll be sure to handle each job with professionalism and tact. Educational backgrounds and prior work experiences form the cornerstone of the screening process Ryan Russo uses when he searches for employees.

Scientific knowledge is helpful, but employees who can't relate to their clients on a human level aren't likely to retain those clients on future projects. According to Ryan Russo, the interview is vital for employers who want to ensure that the employees they hire have decent people skills. In an interview, verbal tics can come to light that an employee might simply gloss over in an interview conducted via email chat or via email itself.

Hiring employees makes sense, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist says, as it allows small business owners to take on more clients and handle a higher volume of work. By conducting a careful screening process, employers can ensure that the people they hire are fully capable of handling the job. 

Ryan Russo, Denver Criminal Forensic Scientist, on Expert Testimony

In a perfect world, disagreements between two people would be handled with a quick conversation and a firm handshake. In just a few moments, the two parties would come to an agreement and the whole issue would be forgotten. Unfortunately, conflicts between modern people are rarely handled this quickly and efficiently. Instead, lawsuits and court cases are commonly used to handle two parties who don't see eye to eye. Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, is often called in to provide expert testimony in these court cases.

Working as an expert in a court case can be a difficult proposition. As a Denver scientist, Ryan Russo has access to a significant amount of information, and when he's talking with his peers, he can use very technical language to describe what he knows and what he has yet to discover. However, expert witnesses are required to explain their thoughts in terms almost anyone could understand. Using lingo or specific language could just confuse the issue, and make things worse for the client in court.

When Ryan Russo is asked to work as a witness, he's careful to use generic language. He scours the words he uses in his head, to ensure that almost anyone would know what the word means. And he carefully explains any technical words he must use, if there are no generic counterparts. Due to his caution, and his expertise, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, is in great demand as an expert witness on matters concerning electronic evidence. He's consulted on cases for business clients, who need to recover the losses they've endured due to criminal acts from employees and competitors, and he's consulted on cases for private individuals, including divorcing couples and feuding families. 

Ryan Russo, Denver Scientist, on Professional Hackers

Passwords, user names, identity verification and authorized IP addresses are all designed to keep people from visiting databases, email accounts, bank accounts and other sensitive online storage facilities. As Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, knows all too well, there are many online hackers who can make light of these tools and simply take the information they want. For these hackers, stealing might even seem like a fun way to spend the time.

Hackers often set up shop in other countries, and they may use sophisticated methods in order to hide who they are, and where they live. Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, has seen hackers take over computers through the use of computer viruses. These hackers write a small program, attach it to an email or to a Website, and when that program is clicked, the hacker has control of the computer. The person who owns the computer might not even know that the theft has taken place. With control, the hacker can do terrible things to the computers of other people, and the work might be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for law enforcement officials to trace.

Finding a hacker is much easier than it might seem, Russo says. Many hackers participate in online forums, advertising their work to anyone who visits and promising that prices will stay low and quality will be high. These hackers might also provide their work at a reasonable rate, ensuring that customers will be able to afford the work they need. As a result, hacking has reached epidemic levels all around the world. It seems as though almost no one is safe from the phenomenon.

In his work in digital forensics, Ryan Russo, Denver scientist, can help to spot hackers and keep them from stealing the information they crave. But he encourages his corporate clients to learn more about hacking works, and what they might need to do to keep it from taking place. This is the best way to ensure that it doesn't happen to their companies. 

Ryan Russo, Denver Criminal Forensic Scientist, Explains His Work

As a forensic expert, specializing in computers and other digital devices, Ryan Russo, Denver Criminal Forensic Scientist, spends a significant portion of each and every day trying to retrieve files others believe they have hidden or deleted. It's a common misconception that files disappear when users drag them to the trash and empty the trash. Instead, these files leave behind a sticky trail of copies and evidence, and with the help of that footprint, Ryan Russo can often determine just what the file contained.

When a file is erased, Russo says, “It's essentially removed from the user's sight. It's a bit like taking a document off of a book's table of contents. It's a bit harder to find, but the file is essentially still there. But, the computer might also know that the file shouldn't really be there to begin with. As a result, the computer might choose to steal a little space here and a little space there from the space once used exclusively by that original file. Over time, the original file might only exist in tiny shards and fragments that must be pieced together. This process can take decades to complete, however, and in the interim, the entire file might be totally intact, just waiting to be found once more.”

Sophisticated computer users can buy programs that "sweep" the computer and remove traces of files, Denver criminal forensic scientist Ryan Russo says. But those programs often must be run multiple times in order for the computer to be considered truly clean. Governmental agencies suggest a minimum of seven sweeps, but some people conduct many more, in order to ensure that their deleted files are gone for good. Even then, Russo might be able to find parts and pieces of them, if he's asked to do so.