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.