Category Archives: digital forensics

Cyber Workshop for RMU @ National Cyber Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA)

The CIS Department has organized a workshop for RMU students at the National Cyber Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA) in Pittsburgh.  The workshop will focus on areas of interest to cybersecurity students, but all computing students are welcome to attend.  However, the event will be limited to the first 20 students.  Transportation to/from the event and a light lunch will be provided by the CIS department.

Cyber Workshop for RMU @ National Cyber Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA)

Location: 2000 Technology Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Event Date: Wednesday, February 4th 2025

Event Time:  8:00 am – 2:00 pm

Agenda:
8:15 am Bus from Campus to NCFTA
9:00 am FBI Briefing on Current Events (unclassified) and Career Info
        Aaron Hays, FBI Special Agent 
9:45 am Industry CISO Panel
        John O'Rourke, Chief Information Security Officer, PPG
        Jim Mahony, Chief Information Security Officer, RMU
10:30 am Hands-On Cybersecurity Capture-the-Flag Exercise  
11:30 am NCFTA Facility Tour including Malware Lab
12:00 am Lunch with:
Emily Kerry, Intelligence Analyst at NCFTA; RMU Class of 2024
1:00 pm Bus returns to Campus

Sign-up Below

If you are interested in attending this event, please fill out the application below and submit to indicate your interest. 

Click here: Cyber Workshop Application

You will be notified in January if you have been selected to attend the event (limited to the first 20 students), and asked to confirm your attendance at that time.  (If you have class on Wednesdays, you will need to miss class to attend this event on February 4th.  You will have time to discuss with your professor(s) to ensure that this will be OK before confirming your attendance.)  

SteelHacks XII Hackathon

Unleash Your Inner Innovator at Steelhacks XII!

Get ready to dive into a world of innovation, problem-solving, and collaboration at Steelhacks XII, happening on September 20-21, 2025, at the University of Pittsburgh.

Steelhacks is more than just a coding competition; it’s an opportunity to challenge yourself, learn new skills, and connect with like-minded individuals.

  • 24 hours of coding, creativity, and collaboration
  • Speed Friending with various companies (networking opportunities) and Guest Speakers
  • Prizes for several different tracks
  • Free food and fun activities to keep the energy high

Mark your calendars and get ready to turn your ideas into reality.

Register now: at the Steelhacks website for registration and updates on all the exciting activities and more details as the event approaches!

Dr. Steve Mancini – Best Podcast Host!

The CIS department is thrilled to extend our warmest congratulations to our very own Dr. Steve Mancini on his recent achievement! Dr. Mancini has been recognized as the Best Podcast Host in the prestigious 2025 Communicator Awards for his engaging and insightful podcast, The Italian Impact.

This well-deserved win highlights Dr. Mancini’s dedication and passion for fostering connections both within our university and the local community. Through The Italian Impact Podcast, he skillfully brings attention to a diverse range of topics that resonate with students and faculty right here on campus, while also reaching out to the vibrant Italian community in Pittsburgh and beyond.

We encourage everyone to tune in and experience the award-winning podcast for themselves! You can find The Italian Impact Podcast on all your favorite listening platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also learn more and explore past episodes on the official website: https://italianimpactweekly.com/.

To see the details of Dr. Mancini’s award and all of the winners, click HERE

Let’s all celebrate Dr. Mancini’s fantastic accomplishment and continue to support his wonderful work with The Italian Impact Podcast! Congratulations, Dr. Mancini!


The FBI Honors Internship Program

The FBI Honors Internship Program will be opening Summer 2026 applications starting soon.  This program is ideal for undergraduate students between their junior and senior years, as well as graduate students pursuing a Master’s degree, JD, or Ph.D. This paid internship can be a direct pipeline to full-time employment after college.

The program is highly competitive. You can set up a job alert on the website to be notified when postings open. The link to the website can be found here.

Spring into Success

RMU’s Career Center hosted an internship showcase on April 23, 2025 called Spring into Success: A Professional Experience Celebration in the UPMC Events Center.  A number of students in the department participated to highlight their amazing internship experiences.

Nana Akua Osei-Sarfo, Applied Mathematics, Data Analytics (M.S.), Capital One

Kendall Battles, Criminal Justice, Organizational Leadership (M.S.), Defender Association of Philadelphia

Peyton Lutchkus, Cybersecurity, Cyber Security (M.S.), University of Maryland (ARLIS)

Connor Gitzen, Criminal Justice, Zimmer Kunz PLLC

Nasia Edwards, Criminal Justice, Fiffik Law Group

Aaron Picon, Criminal Justice, Cyber Investigations & Intelligence (M.S.), Allegheny County Youth and Family Services

Payton Hostetler, Cinema and Photography, Stephen Mancini Productions

Emma Cantwell, Criminal Justice, Charleston, SC Police Department

Sean Miller, Cybersecurity, Cyber Investigations &  Intelligence (M.S.), Calgon Carbon Corporation

Robert Pava, Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics, Cybersecurity (M.S.), 38th Engineering Squadron

Sai Naga Mallikharjun Yerra, Data Analytics (M.S.),  Body by AIM360

Let’s give a huge round of applause to our incredible students who’ve just wrapped up some truly valuable professional experiences and internships! We’re so proud of the skills they’ve gained and the hard work they’ve put in. A massive thank you also goes out to the amazing employers, dedicated staff, and supportive faculty whose guidance and mentorship are absolutely essential in shaping these future professionals. Keep shining!

CyberHub Podcast with Dr. Karen Paullet: Key Skills Every Digital Investigator Must Have

Dr. Karen Paullet was recently asked to be a guest on the Hub Cast podcast for The Cyber Social Hub with Kevin DeLong! Check out the episode where Kevin talks with Dr. Paullet about the latest trends in education for the digital forensics field:

Professor Matt Rosenberg Recognized as a Top-Ranked Mobile Device Forensic Examiner in the Country

Matt Rosenberg, an Allegheny County Mobile Device Forensic Examiner ranked second out of nearly 4,000 digital forensic examiners in the United States. The U.S. Secret Service’s National Computer Forensics Institute recognized the top digital forensic examiners and Allegheny County’s Matt Rosenberg rose to the top. This ranking took into consideration an investigator’s ability to extract data in three areas: mobile devices, digital media, and hard drives.

In addition to his full-time job as an Allegheny County Mobile Device Forensic Examiner, Professor Rosenberg also teaches part-time at RMU, instructing students in several courses including Intro to Digital Forensics, Fundamentals of Cyber Forensics, and Mobile Forensics. Congratulations, Professor Rosenberg, on this prestigious ranking!

To read more about this accomplishment, see:
WPXI news: Allegheny County Mobile Device Forensic Examiner recognized as 2nd best in country

Cyber Attack and Digital Forensics Response – a TSC-sponsored Virtual Presentation

The Top Secret Colonials are holding another virtual presentation on Thursday, March 11th at 4:30 pm. Tyler Hatch, founder and CEO of DFI Forensics, will present on Cyber Attack and Digital Forensics response. Students will be able to earn 1 hour of SET credit for professional development. You will need to click the link below to join. Names will be collected for those earning SET credit.

Tyler Hatch is the founder and CEO of DFI Forensics, a Vancouver-based digital forensics and cyber-attack response firm.

Tyler is a former litigation lawyer and current certified digital forensics examiner who, along with his team at DFI Forensics, investigates digital evidence related to criminal acts, civil litigation proceedings, and cyber-attacks.

He and his team routinely assist businesses during and after a data breach, ransomware attack, business email compromise, or DDoS attack.

The link for the presentation is:
https://meet.google.com/kpd-jfpi-eyo

“Deepfakes” Presentation – a TSC-sponsored Event

The Top Secret Colonials are holding a virtual presentation and workshop on Thursday, October 29th at 2:00 pm.

The topic of the virtual presentation and workshop will be “Deepfakes”. Chet Hosmer, Chief Scientist and Sr. Vice President of WetStone Technologies, will be presenting. Chet will present during the first half of the session on Deepfakes where he will pull video from Twitter and run a Python script to determine if the video is real or has been altered. For the second half of the presentation you will be taught how to pull EXIF data from an image using python. Files will be sent prior to the presentation so that you can participate remotely. Below you will find a link to the Google Meet session. You will need to click the link to join. Names of everyone that joins the presentation will be collected and all (undergraduates) will receive credit for 1 hour of professional development SET credit.

https://meet.google.com/xps-fzsy-thb

Chet Hosmer is Chief Scientist, Sr. Vice President, and a co-founder of WetStone Technologies, Inc. Chet has been researching and developing technology and training surrounding data hiding, steganography and watermarking for over a decade. He has made numerous appearances to discuss the threat steganography poses including National Public Radio’s Kojo Nnamdi show, ABC’s Primetime Thursday, NHK Japan, CrimeCrime TechTV and ABC News Australia. He has also been a frequent contributor to technical and news stories relating to steganography and has been interviewed and quoted by IEEE, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Government Computer News, Salon.com, and Wired Magazine. Chet also serves as a visiting professor at Utica College where he teaches in the Cybersecurity Graduate program.