This February, Magnet Forensics is bringing Magnet Virtual Summit back, and it’s set to spark a revolution in digital investigations.

We are going through an incredible transformation period, and this is your chance to stay ahead of the latest challenges and opportunities with knowledge from experts and peers.

On February 23-26, over 50 of the top names in the industry will share their expertise, case studies, and knowledge on topics including AI, mobile forensics, cloud investigations, deepfakes, eDiscovery, incident response, and so much more.

Come and experience the latest innovations of the Magnet Forensics product suite—including the revolutionary Magnet One platform—to reveal how to uncover the truth faster and build stronger cases.

No matter what your skill level is, Magnet Virtual Summit 2026 is your chance to gain an investigative edge.

Learn more below and register for the event here.

What to Expect at the Event

At Magnet Virtual Summit 2026, we’ll have fascinating speakers, product explorations, a challenging Hexordia-powered Capture the Flag competition, as well as activities that will give you the chance to win great prizes.

Plus, we’ll have Magnet Forensics experts taking part in several special Q&A sessions and brand-new Unpacked presentations, covering the latest in mobile, legal, cyber, and AI investigations.

MVS Keynote Presentations

We’re excited to welcome two special guest keynote presenters for Magnet Virtual Summit 2026, in addition to our keynote presentation from Magnet Forensics leadership:

Magnet Virtual Summit 2026 keynote: Accelerating the future of digital investigations

Magnet Forensics Co-Founder & Board Member, Jad Saliba & David Miles, President, National Security Programs

We’re kicking off an incredible week at Magnet Virtual Summit 2026 with a special address from Magnet Forensics Co-Founder & Board Member Jad Saliba, who will unpack how Magnet Forensics is bringing the future of digital investigations to the here and now. Jad will explore some of the recent innovations that are advancing the speed and accuracy of investigations, including AI-enabled solutions that surface investigative insights and leads for investigators, and much more.

He will also highlight what’s ahead at Magnet Virtual Summit, including what to expect with our always popular Capture the Flag (CTF) competition, details of inspiring and informative Ask the Expert sessions, and the themes and ideas our special guests will be sharing during their keynote presentations.

Joining Jad will be David Miles, President, National Security Programs at Magnet Forensics, who will be talking to Product and Sales executives within the company to reveal the priorities and innovations shaping Magnet Forensics in 2026—including programs that will demonstrate our continuing commitment to giving customers an investigative edge as well as exciting updates to our revolutionary Magnet One platform.

The session will wrap up with a live Q&A, providing attendees an opportunity to engage directly with Magnet Forensics leaders as the summit begins.

Magnet Virtual Summit 2026 keynote MVS keynote presenter: David Bray, PhD, Chair of the Accelerator & Distinguished Fellow, Stimson Center

A nationally recognized leader at the intersection of emerging technology, national security, and digital evidence, David Bray will bring his years of experience to Magnet Virtual Summit 2026 to talk about the technology that’s changing everything, including AI, the cloud, and quantum computing. He’ll discuss how initial skepticism behind technology can eventually lead to adoption, and how policymakers need to think ahead when creating policy.

With experience advising more than a dozen tech and data startups, David brings practical insight into how investigators and cybersecurity teams can prepare for the next wave of AI-driven challenges in digital forensics.

Magnet Virtual Summit 2026 keynote: Why high-tech needs to understand low-tech MVS keynote presenter: Chuck Whitlock, White-Collar Crime & Fraud Speaker

A renowned expert on white-collar crime and fraud prevention, Chuck Whitlock helps protect people and their money from criminals and con artists through his work as an author, television correspondent and producer. He has empowered citizens, educated law enforcement officers, and enlightened members of the business community, the financial community, and the health care industry about the methods of scam artists and how to fight back against their efforts.

In his presentation, “Why high-tech needs to understand low-tech,” Chuck will demonstrate how businesses can learn how to spot internal and external threats and prevent the financial loss that comes with them.

Special Brand-New Unpacked Episodes

**Mobile Unpacked // Harping on health data **Chris Vance, Senior Technical Forensics Specialist, Magnet Forensics

The growing incorporation of health data on mobile devices is a two-fold issue. First, this data must be kept secure; second, it can be incredibly valuable to an investigation. However, how secure is this data? In this talk, we’ll explore the different levels of protection on health data stored in iOS and Android and how you might be able to obtain it through varying levels of extractions.

**Cyber Unpacked // Are you DF, IR, or both? Navigating the overlap between forensics and incident response **

Doug Metz, Senior Security Forensics Specialist at Magnet Forensics and Brett Shavers, former law enforcement officer and veteran DFIR practitioner

Digital forensics and incident response often overlap in practice but differ in intent: DF emphasizes preservation and prosecutorial defensibility, while IR prioritizes speed, containment, and recovery. For private sector responders, knowing when to apply forensic rigor during an incident can mean the difference between resilience and regulatory fallout. This session examines the ongoing tension between rapid response and evidentiary integrity, illustrating how gaps in preservation can affect investigative outcomes, compliance obligations, and post-incident accountability.

Join Doug Metz, Senior Security Forensics Specialist at Magnet Forensics, and special guest Brett Shavers, a former law enforcement officer and veteran DFIR practitioner, as they explore the trade-offs between containment and preservation, highlight situations where forensic soundness is essential, and provide a framework for deciding when “good enough IR” isn’t enough. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for balancing IR speed with forensic defensibility in corporate environments.

**AI Unpacked // The state of AI at Magnet Forensics **Brandon Epstein, Forensic Consultant, Magnet Forensics; Gabriel Fiorenzano, Senior Product Manager, Magnet Forensics; Justin Franchetto, Director, Engineering – AI, Magnet Forensics

Get an insider’s view of how Magnet Forensics is leveraging AI to transform digital investigations. This session covers current AI-driven features, ethical considerations, and future innovations designed to accelerate casework and improve investigative outcomes.

**Legal Unpacked // The importance of preservation for mobile evidence **Justin Fitzsimmons, Technical Prosecutor Lead, Magnet Forensics and Chris Vance, Senior Technical Forensics Specialist, Magnet Forensics

Mobile security features are constantly evolving, and with that, the window of opportunity for digital examiners to collect the most mobile data possible is constantly shrinking.

With the need to follow due process along with the tight time-constraints on the availability of mobile data, forensics examiners need to leverage data preservation solutions to protect their ability to extract the critical mobile insights needed to close cases.

Join us as we dive into some of the challenges surrounding time constraints and extracting the most mobile data possible, and how the preservation capabilities in Magnet Graykey can help address them within the legal landscape for preserving evidence.

Other MVS Presentation Highlights

**Axing media manipulation: A case study in effective media authentication **Brandon Epstein, Forensic Consultant, Magnet Forensics and Travis Blank, Tournament Director, The Aim Games

When faced with the need to ensure the integrity of the world’s largest sport-throwing league, Aim Games turned the concept of media authentication on its head. Instead of looking for manipulations, organizers now ensure originality of all submissions—building trust in the competition and outcomes. In today’s age of deepfakes and synthetic media, could this approach be the new standard in effective media authentication within modern society? Join us to hear first-hand about how to build confidence and public trust in your submitted evidence.

**Drowning in data… Practical cloud storage and data migration strategies **Bertram Lyons, Director, Product Management, Magnet Forensics and Jesus Valenzuela, Manager III of the Seattle Police Department

Have you considered cloud storage but don’t know where to start? Worried about being locked into a storage solution with no way of ever getting out? Then this session is for you. Join us to learn about how the Seattle PD effectively manages large amounts of digital data and efficiently moves data from on premise storage systems to the cloud.

From policy to technology and operational considerations, this session will highlight how Seattle PD and Magnet Forensics work together to migrate petabytes of digital evidence to the cloud, allowing you to understand the advantages and complexities of cloud storage and data migration, and to build confidence in hosted digital evidence management today and into the future.

Shielding our protectors

Melissa Kaiser, Trainer and Consultant, MelKai Consulting, LLC

Digital forensics professionals frequently operate under intense pressure, with repeated exposure to distressing content and cognitive fatigue. This session presents a trauma-informed wellness framework to enhance resilience, operational readiness, and professional longevity. Participants will learn practical strategies to mitigate burnout, regulate emotional responses, and sustain peak performance, while also exploring ways to normalize wellness practices within the workplace. The session will help the audience to create a culture that supports mental health, improves team functioning, and benefits both home life and career sustainability.

Building the IR go-bag: Essential tools, scripts, and playbooks for private sector teams

Doug Metz, Senior Security Forensics Specialist, Magnet Forensics

When incidents strike, responders rarely have the luxury of time—or perfect conditions. That’s where the “IR go-bag” comes in: a curated set of tools, scripts, and workflows that ensure consistency and speed in the heat of an investigation. In this session, we’ll break down how to design and maintain an IR go-bag that balances portability, flexibility, and forensic defensibility.

Attendees will see examples of host triage scripts, rapid data collection workflows, and common pitfalls to avoid when deploying tools in live environments. We’ll also explore how Magnet Forensics tools can integrate into a broader incident response toolkit. Whether you’re an in-house responder or part of a consulting team, this session will help you build a go-bag that reduces dwell time and increases confidence when every second counts.

**The ROI of digital forensics: Demonstrating value to LE leadership **Debbie Garner, Community Engagement Coordinator, Hexordia; Ed O’Carroll, Major (Retired), Fairfax County; Holly Kennedy, Grant Writer, Magnet Forensics

Securing funding for mobile device forensics tools, equipment, and training is critical for modernizing investigations, yet many agencies struggle with where to begin. This presentation will guide law enforcement practitioners and leaders through strategies to build a compelling case for resource allocation. Attendees will learn how to demonstrate the value of mobile forensics tools, gather and present impactful data, and address concerns from decision-makers, procurement teams, and grant committees. From identifying agency-specific needs to comparing solutions and strengthening funding proposals, this session equips agencies with practical steps to secure essential resources for effective investigations.

**DFIR maturity, what is it and how to achieve it? **Ryan Coughlan, Cybersecurity Staff Analyst, The Home Depot and David Brown, Staff Cybersecurity Analyst, The Home Depot

One of the most difficult concepts for a corporate DFIR team is that of maturity. How is it proven and measured? How does a DFIR team bring value when events of interest aren’t happening? This presentation will show some of the high-level topics that begin to answer those questions as well as cover current cybersecurity topics that can be utilized to create a top-tier and mature DFIR team. Topics include the creation of metrics and KPIs, essential skill sets, advanced tools and technologies, automation and AI, robust playbooks, documentation, and communication plans, senior leadership buy-in and support, and the adoption of a maturity model.

**Evolving the science of digital forensics – The Sydney Declaration **Jason Jordaan, Principal Forensic Analyst, DFIRLABS

Digital forensics has evolved significantly since the early days of being a “by the seat of the pants” activity carried out by nerd cops. It is now a recognized forensic science. But even as a forensic science it has faced challenges when compared to typical physical lab based forensic sciences which are often very limited in their analysis scope. Digital forensics has often blurred the line between investigative activity and forensic science, which has sometimes put it at odds with the broader forensic science field. However, the Sydney Declaration on Forensic Science which has revisited the essence of what forensic science is by re-evaluating the fundamental principles of forensic science has provided an opportunity to integrate the investigative nature and forensic science natures of digital forensics into a cohesive whole.

This presentation will explore the Sydney Declaration on Forensic Science and how it can be applied to the practice of evolving digital forensics.

MVS Capture the Flag

Another amazing Magnet Virtual Summit Capture the Flag (CTF) is coming to Magnet Virtual Summit 2026!

The CTF will be powered by Hexordia, and it will be a three-hour timed event that will test your skills while competing with others. We don’t want to give away too much, but we promise that Jessica Hyde and interns from Champlain College’s Digital Forensic Association have created a CTF that will be fun, challenging, and full of learning opportunities.

This CTF will take place on Thursday, February 26 from 11:00 – 2:00 PM EST, and it will test your skills while competing with others.

Important: Please note registration for this event closes end of day February 23 and images and download links will be sent no later than February 24.

Need a few tips on taking part in the competition? When you register, you can also sign up for a Capture the Flag workshop on February 23 at 12:00 PM EST with CTF creator, Jessica Hyde, and multiple Magnet CTF-winner, Kevin Pagano.

Live Q&A with Magnet Forensics Experts

Drop into these live interactive sessions and chat directly with Magnet Forensics product experts. You’ll have the opportunity to engage in conversation with Product Management, Forensic Consulting, and Market Research team members from Magnet Forensics.

And be sure to join us right before each Live Q&A for a special presentation that will cover the latest Magnet Forensics solutions.

Learn More and Register for Magnet Virtual Summit 2026

Get access to all these presentations, plus get opportunities to take part in special MVS games to gain points, win prizes, and raise money for Child Rescue Coalition!

Head over to www.magnetvirtualsummit.com for more information and to register and start building out your personalized agenda today.