SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic earns prestigious cyber forensics award

CHARLESTON, SC, UNITED STATES

10.15.2015

Story by Susan Piedfort 

Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR)

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic’s Cyber Forensics Criminal Investigations (CFIX) Laboratory became the first in the Navy to earn the prestigious cyber forensics award.

The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) announced SSC Atlantic’s ASCLD/LAB-International accreditation honor Oct. 15.

A federal laboratory that provides services and assistance to the Navy and other U.S. federal government agencies worldwide, SSC Atlantic’s CFIX Laboratory is now accredited for forensic science testing in the discipline of digital and multimedia evidence.

“ASCLD/LAB is the most recognized accrediting body for forensics crime laboratories in the world,” said Robin Corkill, supervisory IT specialist in Cyber Forensics and director of SSC Atlantic’s CFIX Laboratory. “As the only Navy testing lab accredited in the area of digital forensics, we are positioned to benefit SSC Atlantic and the Navy in a number of ways.”

According to ASCLD/LAB’s assessment, CFIX processes and procedures, as well as their resources, were recognized as forensically sound and in accordance with the ISO 17025:2005 standards and ASCLD/LAB guiding principles.

“Having this backing from ASCLD/LAB, along with their reputation for excellence, puts us in the position to perform investigations in support of Navy and Naval Criminal Investigative Services,” said Corkill. “It assures that we have the processes, procedures and strict requirements necessary to preserve the integrity of evidence that will stand up in a court of law.

Led by Corkill, a team consisting of Quality Assurance Manager Mark Gramajo, Lab Manager and Senior Investigator Gordon Martin, Investigator Michael Maurer, Training Coordinator Warren Crusenberry and Safety Officer Ronald Graham took on the task of earning the ASCLD/LAB accreditation for SSC Atlantic. To earn that accreditation, the lab team demonstrated that their technical processes, procedures and quality management system met ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and applicable ASCLD/LAB-International supplemental requirements; they were also required to show that the CFIX Laboratory operated according to those requirements. After completing the application process, they went through the process of program compliance review by the assessor, which included examination of more than 400 items and an extensive onsite assessment. After final package approval, the CFIX team received their accreditation by the Laboratory Accreditation Board.

SSC Atlantic’s accreditation is in the field of forensic science testing, the discipline of digital and multimedia evidence, and the category of computer forensics. Accreditation was more than two years in the making and was officially granted Aug. 17, 2015. It expires in four years.

As of September 2015, only 400 crime laboratories had been accredited by ASCLD/LAB since 1982, including 191 state laboratories, 133 local agency laboratories, 32 federal laboratories, 18 international and 26 private.

SSC Atlantic makes IT count for the warfighter and the nation. The SSC Atlantic team rapidly delivers and supports solutions that enable information dominance for naval, joint, national and coalition warfighters. SSC Atlantic develops, acquires, and provides life-cycle support for Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Combat, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems, Information Technology (IT) systems, and Space Systems. SSC Atlantic is a leading edge Navy engineering center that designs, builds, tests, fields and supports many of the finest frontline C5ISR systems in use today, and those being planned for the future.

• Date Taken: 10.15.2015
• Date Posted: 10.16.2015 09:59
• Story ID: 179089
• Location: CHARLESTON, SC, US