Attorneys generate, send, and receive a great deal of sensitive and legally privileged data. These professionals are also responsible for keeping that information safe and secure. Ultimately the firm, not the firm’s IT people, are liable if that data is accessed, stolen, or compromised in some way.

In an article for Nassau Lawyer magazine, NGH Group CEO Nick Himonidis outlines how attorneys can better secure their electronic data and the devices that access it—from the phones in their pockets to the computers on their desks. The feature story includes guidance on the following:

• Protecting smartphones from SIM swapping attacks
• Identifying and fortifying potential “attack surfaces” on computers
• Securing data on cloud storage services, such as OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.
•  … and more

With a 2022 ABA survey showing that 27% of responding attorneys and law firms reported a data breach and court cases that have found law firms liable for the safety of client data, this article provides invaluable information from a recognized industry expert. Himonidis, a recognized expert in digital forensics and cyber security, is the co-chair of the Nassau County Bar Association Cyber Law Committee.

Read the article here.

The podcast Crazy Money with Paul Ollinger recently featured NGH Group CEO Nick Himonidis in the episode “Finding Hidden Assets in Divorce Discovery with Nick Himonidis.”

With the experience of finding tens of millions of dollars in undisclosed assets, Mr. Himonidis offers insights into:

• How he and his colleagues go about their work
• Why you’ll probably get caught if you try to hide assets in a divorce proceeding
• How to hire and work with a professional investigator while searching for assets

Mr. Himonidis also discusses the importance of vetting prospective investigators to ensure they operate within legal guidelines and with a high degree of professional ethics.

Whether the hidden assets are foreign bank accounts, cash equivalents in a safe deposit box, undisclosed real estate, or hundreds of thousands in cryptocurrency, learn how professionals find these assets by listening to this episode of the Crazy Money with Paul Ollinger podcast.

On May 20, CNBC published an article on the challenges of tracking down cryptocurrency in divorce cases. Titled “A husband hid $500,000 in bitcoin during a divorce—and got busted by a crypto hunter,” the article includes insights from divorce attorneys, financial advisors, and cryptocurrency forensic investigators, including NGH Group President Nicholas Himonidis.

As licensed private investigators specializing in high-tech investigations, including computer forensics and cryptocurrency/blockchain forensics, the NGH Group has firsthand knowledge of how the cryptocurrency landscape continues to evolve. No longer just hunting down undisclosed bitcoin, the NGH Group conducts comprehensive cryptocurrency forensic investigations to locate and trace many forms of cryptocurrency and NFTs across multiple blockchains, providing critical evidence to attorneys and their clients.

“There’s not just a couple of blockchains to worry about anymore. There’s hundreds and hundreds of coins out there on their own little independent blockchains,” said Himonidis, who serves on the New York State Bar Association Task Force on Emerging Digital Finance and Currency and is co-chair of the Nassau County Bar Association Cyber Law Committee.

The NGH Group is one of very few private firms with access to—and certified in the use of—Chainalysis Reactor, one of the most powerful cryptocurrency forensic tools available. Tools like Reactor and Chainalysis Storyline allow the NGH Group to track cryptocurrency and NFTs across multiple blockchains and remain on the cutting edge of identifying and tracing crypto assets.

Read the full CNBC article here.

NGH Group CEO Nicholas G. Himonidis will be a featured speaker at the “2023 Conference on Advanced Issues in Child Custody: Evaluation, Litigation, and Settlement,” held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., on September 28-30. The event is co-hosted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).

Mr. Himonidis will lecture on “Authentication of Digital Media in Child Custody Cases: Checking the Evidence” on Thursday, September 28, and again on Saturday, September 30. His presentation will highlight how to determine whether digital evidence is reliable and legitimate, as well as how to review and authenticate data that will be admissible in court.

On Friday, September 29, Mr. Himonidis will join a panel discussion on “Technology and Evidentiary Issues in Child Custody Cases.” This moderated event will address how child custody evaluators, attorneys, judges, and technology experts confront the issue of authenticity and the criteria used.

An attorney himself, Mr. Himonidis has been qualified in court as an expert witness in the field of Computer Forensics and the Authentication of Digital Evidence, and he was recently appointed Co-Chair of the Nassau County Bar Association Cyber Law Committee.

For more information or to register, please visit the conference website.

Nicholas G. Himonidis, founder and CEO of the NGH Group, will be a featured speaker at “Deep Dive into the Metaverse and Web3: The First Global Law Symposium.” Presented by the New York State Bar Association Task Force on Emerging Digital Finance and Currency, the two-day program will take place April 28-29, 2023, at the New York University School of Professional Studies.

The symposium will explore the global nature of Web3, the Metaverse, and Digital Assets in the law, as well as the ever-evolving legal challenges presented by this technology. Attendees of the event, which will also be live-streamed, will receive 9 CLE credits.

On April 28, Mr. Himonidis will speak on “What to Do When Your Client Receives Digital Assets During a Divorce and/or as Part of an Inheritance? A Family Law and Trust & Estates Update.” A certified expert in cryptocurrency and an attorney, he serves as Co-Chair of the Nassau County Bar Association Cyber Law Committee and is a member of the New York State Bar Association Task Force on Emerging Digital Finance and Currency. He has been qualified and court-appointed as an expert in Computer Forensics and Digital Evidence, as well as cryptocurrency forensics. He is one of the very few Certified Cryptocurrency Forensic Investigators (CCFI) in the United States and also holds the Chainalysis Reactor Certification credential (CRC).

For more information or to register, visit the event website.

NGH Group CEO Nicholas G. Himonidis will be a featured speaker at the Spring 2023 MatLaw Seminar, “Courtroom Evidence 2023: Selected Issues and Recurrent Problems,” on May 19 in Albany (also streaming online). The program will include a new mandatory CLE required course, “Privacy and Data Protection,” presented by Mr. Himonidis, and offers seven CLE credits.

A certified expert in cryptocurrency and an attorney himself, Mr. Himonidis has more than 30 years of experience in fraud investigations, computer forensics, and law. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), a Certified Computer Forensic Specialist (CCFS), one of the very few Certified Cryptocurrency Forensic Investigators (CCFI) in the United States, and he holds the Chainalysis Reactor Certification (CRC) credential.

He has been qualified in court as an expert witness in the field of Computer Forensics and the Authentication of Digital Evidence and has lectured extensively and published numerous articles on various technical, investigative, and legal topics, including accredited CLE programs on cybersecurity issues for attorneys and their clients in matrimonial litigation. He was recently appointed Co-Chair of the Nassau County Bar Association Cyber Law Committee.

The seminar will include the following:

• The Hearsay Rule and Its Exceptions
• Privacy and Data Protection
• Expert Evidence: Reliability and Validity; Admissibility Standards & Issues
• Credibility & Cross-Examination

For more information or to register, visit the event website.

Following a rigorous vetting process and extensive education and training, the NGH Group is now one of the few private-sector firms certified in the use of Chainalysis Reactor, the world’s leading cryptocurrency and blockchain investigation tool. Until recently, this ground-breaking technology was only available to law enforcement, government agencies, financial regulators, and financial institutions that operated in the crypto space.

Full access to this comprehensive suite of tools allows the NGH Group to trace crypto funds and analyze transactions to pinpoint intersections between cryptocurrency and fiat currency—a critical step to finding and pursuing recovery of crypto assets. Reactor also permits the identification of crypto addresses and wallets that appear to be controlled by the same person or entity, assets that may not have been previously disclosed. 

“Identifying and tracing crypto assets differs fundamentally from any other form of financial investigation, and it requires very high-tech tools and methodologies,” notes NGH Group founder and CEO Nicholas G. Himonidis, a Certified Cryptocurrency Forensic Investigator and qualified expert witness in cryptocurrency forensics. “Through Chainalysis Reactor, the NGH Group can now provide law firms, forensic accountants and other financial professionals, and even law enforcement with more accurate, more comprehensive, and far more efficient cryptocurrency investigations than previously possible.

 “For anyone needing to identify or trace crypto assets and activity in a divorce proceeding, commercial transaction, hacking, theft, or scam case, this is a game changer.”

 With multiple certifications in the digital forensic field, as well as a background as a practicing attorney, Himonidis is considered one of the country’s leading experts in the field. Recognizing that expertise, the New York State Bar Association appointed Himonidis to its recently formed Task Force on Emerging Digital Finance and Currency. 

 For assistance with cryptocurrency and blockchain investigations, or help with other high-tech investigative solutions, contact the NGH Group.

 

According to Apple Inc. and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, vulnerabilities have recently been discovered on macOS Monterey, iOS, iPadOS and Safari browsers that could allow hackers to take control of a device’s operating system and execute arbitrary code as well as craft malicious web content.

A hacker with full administrative access to the affected operating systems and Safari browser versions pre-dating the patched versions shown below can impersonate the device owner and run any software in the device owner’s name.

Patched versions and the devices for which they are available are shown here:

 

Patched version	Available for
Safari 16	macOS Big Sur and macOS Monterey
tvOS 16 (details available soon)	Apple TV 4K, Apple TV 4K (2nd generation), and Apple TV HD
watchOS 9 (details available soon)	Apple Watch Series 4 and later
iOS 16	iPhone 8 and later
macOS Monterey 12.6	macOS Monterey
macOS Big Sur 11.7	macOS Big Sur
iOS 15.7 and iPadOS 15.7	iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
iOS 12.5.6	iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPod touch (6th generation)
watchOS 8.7.1 This update has no published CVE entries.	Apple Watch Series 3

Source: Apple Support

How to install Apple security updates

Apple Support provides instructions for updating the software on your Apple device:

• How to update the software on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
• How to update the software on your Mac and how to allow important background updates.
• Safari updates are available by following the steps to update or upgrade macOS, iOS, or iPadOS.

 

When plaintiffs and defendants in family law cases use emails, texts, and other electronic communications to bolster their cases, they may be crossing an ethical or legal line. That’s the message in a recent article by NGH Group CEO Nicholas G. Himonidis in the spring issue of Family Advocate magazine, a national publication of the American Bar Association.

Himonidis, a legal, forensic, and cryptocurrency expert with multiple certifications, outlined what evidence is and isn’t admissible in matrimonial and custody cases. His in-depth article highlights when conduct can result in civil and criminal penalties, and what legal and ethical issues attorneys should consider before obtaining or using evidence. 

Read the full ABA article.