We exist because organizations deserve the truth.
Hiltz Digital Forensics, a division of Hiltz & Associates, delivers uncompromising investigative clarity for organizations facing complex, high-risk digital disputes. We bridge the gap between an abundance of data and a scarcity of clarity, turning raw data into defensible evidence through disciplined methodology, technical precision and unwavering integrity.
Beyond the audit trail
Digital forensics is more than a software log review.
Many firms that advertise digital forensics only examine the audit trail inside a practice’s billing and payment software. That review has value, and we perform it too. But an audit trail records only what one program was built to track. It cannot show what happened on the computer the program runs on, what was said in an email or text message, or whether an x-ray was altered after the fact.
Real digital forensics follows the evidence wherever it lives.
A software log review sees
- Entries, adjustments and deletions inside one program
- The user login attached to each entry
- Only what the software vendor chose to record
- Nothing that happened outside the application
A Hiltz forensic examination can reach
- Forensic copies of computers, servers and phones
- Deleted files, messages and data
- Email, text messages, photos and cloud accounts
- Operating system event logs and logon history
- Metadata on documents, x-rays and CBCT scans
- Records from Google, Microsoft, cloud hosts, mobile carriers and ISPs
- The practice software audit trail, matched against all of the above
What we examine
Where the evidence lives
Computers and servers
We create verified forensic copies of workstations and servers, then recover deleted files and examine file system timestamps, event logs and logon history.
Phones and tablets
Text messages, call logs, photos and app data, including items the user believed were deleted.
Email and cloud accounts
Mailboxes, backups and cloud storage, plus records obtained from Google, Microsoft, cloud hosts, mobile networks and internet providers.
Clinical imaging and records
Digital x-rays, CBCT scans, photos and chart notes carry metadata showing when they were created, changed or deleted.
Networks and remote access
Network traffic, IP addresses and remote access activity that show who connected, from where, and when.
Practice software
Audit trails from Dentrix, Open Dental, Eaglesoft and other systems. Valuable evidence, and most powerful when matched against every other source.
One source rarely tells the whole story.
A deleted adjustment in the practice software means far more when it lines up with a logon on the front desk computer, a text message sent minutes later and a deposit that never reached the bank. We correlate every source into a single, defensible timeline that shows who did what, and when.
How we work
A disciplined, repeatable method
01
Assess
Identify the data most critical to the matter and plan to obtain it at the lowest collection cost.
02
Collect
Create exact forensic copies that preserve integrity, and obtain data from third parties where needed.
03
Examine
Recover deleted data, index mailboxes and backups, and extract artifacts and metadata.
04
Analyze
Search by keyword, IP, email, file type and date, and test the evidence against the timeline and testimony.
05
Report
Deliver an expert report with exhibits and conclusions, or brief counsel directly when a report would be discoverable.
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Talk to us
Inquiries from dentists, practice owners, attorneys and organizations facing a digital dispute are welcome. Your information is confidential and goes directly to William Hiltz.