4 steps the NBI takes in investigating cyber crimes

The process involved in probing alleged cyber crimes is discussed at the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte who allegedly made threats against President Marcos during a virtual press conference

MANILA, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) process in investigating alleged cyber crimes was thrust into the spotlight during the fourth day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Monday, July 13.

During his presentation as prosecution witness, NBI Bangsamoro Administrative Region in Muslim Mindanao Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc said there are four stages of their probe:

Identification and preservation of digital evidence
Collection and hashing of digital evidence
Analysis and attribution
Legal evaluation, then complaint filing

The preservation of digital evidence is important to protect its integrity.

Meanwhile, hashing is done as part of the preservation. Through a hashing tool, investigators may generate a hash value of a certain electronic file.

A hash value is a string of characters generated by an algorithm that serves as a digital fingerprint for the file. Generating a hash value after preserving a file may show that the said file has not been altered.

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During the trial, Lotoc also reiterated the NBI’s mandate: to probe alleged threats against high-ranking officials of the government that includes the president, vice president, Senate president, House speaker, and the chief justice.

Section 5 of Republic Act No. 10867 or National Bureau of Investigation Reorganization and Modernization Act lists down the NBI’s jurisdiction. This includes human trafficking cases in airports, extrajudicial killings committed by state forces against media practitioners and activists, among others.

Section 5(g) states: “[Probe] cases involving threats to security or assaults against the persons of the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.”

The NBI, a powerful office, is an attached agency of the Department of Justice. Apart from the mentioned mandate, the bureau, when requested, also provides technical assistance to all prosecuting and law enforcement agencies, as well as other government agencies. – Rappler.com

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