Sebi empanels 12 entities to provide onsite digital forensic services

Capital markets regulator Sebi has empanelled 12 entities, including Ernst & Young LLP and KPMG Assurance and Consulting Services LLP, to provide assistance to its search team for onsite data acquisition during search and seizure operations.

The other empanelled entities are -- Baker Tilly Business Advisory Services, Cybermate Forensics & Data Security Solutions, Cyint Technologies, ECS Info Tech, Innefu Labs, Mahen Technologies, Nangia & Co LLP, Netrika Consulting India, Pelorus Technologies and Systools Software, according to a notice by Sebi last week.

They have been empanelled for providing digital forensic services to the regulator following the completion of the empanelment process. The empanelment will be valid for a period of two years.

In August, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) invited applications for empanelment of service providers experienced in the field of digital forensic services.

The applications were invited from eligible service providers experienced in digital forensic services for acquisition, extraction and analysis of digital evidence from mobile, computers, and tablets, among others, on an ongoing basis.

As per the notice, the entities will be required to provide onsite and offsite assistance to the search team and onsite data acquisition during search and seizure operations.

In addition, they will have to undertake forensic acquisition or imaging of different types of digital devices, such as laptops, mobile phones, tablets, hard drives, USB drives, CDs/DVDs, servers etc.

Further, they will be required to do onsite acquisition of cloud data from cloud apps like Gmail, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp and any other app or database as decided by the search party.

Last year, Sebi initiated a crackdown against entities allegedly involved in a front-running scam using messaging app Telegram.