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PASADENA, Calif. (May 7, 2007) – Guidance Software Inc. (NASDAQ: GUID), The World Leader in Digital Investigations™, today announced the winner of the third annual Timothy Fidel Memorial Award. The honor recognizes excellence in the field of computer forensics, and is presented in memory of Timothy Fidel, a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service who was best known for his tireless efforts to modernize computer forensic standards.
The winner of the 2007 Timothy Fidel Memorial Award is Alexander Ramos, cybercrime specialist for the Philippine National Police and avid child advocate. Mr. Ramos was instrumental in bringing down a team of international cyber thieves known as "phreakers" based in the Philippines. The phreakers hacked into 2,500 networks worldwide, hijacking millions of dollars worth of phone calls from telecommunications companies in the US, the Philippines, Canada, Australia and across Europe. The investigation, which began at the end of 2005 and ended with seven arrests this past March, uncovered the phreakers techniques, including hacking through voicemail systems. Ramos received the award in-person during a ceremony at the Computer Enterprise and Investigation Conference (CEIC™) in Lake Las Vegas.
As the Fidel Award winner, a $10,000 donation has been made in Mr. Ramos' name to his charity of choice, the University of St. La Salle- Bahay PAG-ASA Youth Center in the Philippines. Committed to addressing the rehabilitative needs of incarcerated youth in the Philippines, the Center provides "Children-In-Conflict with the Law" with life and livelihood skills to set the troubled youth on a path to becoming individuals able to effectively participate in, and positively contribute to society.
The finalists and winner were chosen by the Timothy Fidel Memorial Award Committee which consists of a wide range of leaders in computer forensics, including: Steven Bullitt, program manager for the US Secret Service Electronic Crimes Special Agent Program (ECSAP); Andrew R. Feldman, director of the Technology and Support Center for the IRS Criminal Investigation; William S. Fortuno, associate special agent in charge for the Criminal Investigation Division of the US Environmental Protection Agency; Gary Probert, manager for the Gwent Police Hi-tech Crime Unit; and Gail Thackeray, assistant attorney general at the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
Timothy Fidel passed away on Oct. 29, 2004 at the age of 50. Fidel was a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division. He was a major participant in the design of the Secret Service's Electronic Crimes Special Agents Program, and he was a certified computer forensic examiner, as well as a respected member of the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists. Fidel's last post of duty with the Secret Service was with the Ronald Regan Protective Division for then-retired President Ronald Reagan and former first lady Nancy Reagan.
About Guidance Software, Inc. (GUID)
Guidance Software is recognized worldwide as the industry leader in digital investigative solutions. Its EnCase® platform provides the foundation for government, corporate and law enforcement organizations to conduct thorough and effective computer investigations of any kind, such as intellectual property theft, incident response, compliance auditing and responding to eDiscovery requests—all while maintaining the forensic integrity of the data. There are more than 20,000 licensed users of the technology, and thousands of investigators and corporate security personnel attend Guidance Software's forensic methodology training annually. Validated by numerous courts worldwide, EnCase software is also frequently honored with top security awards and recognition from eWEEK, SC Magazine and Network Computing, as well as the Socha-Gelbmann survey.