Forensics Lab Director and FBI Special Agent Weighs In on the Apple-FBI Encryption Dispute

Declaration of Christopher Pluhar - I. Introduction

1. I am a Supervisory Special Agent ("SSA") with the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), and Director of the Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, Orange, California ("OCRCFL"). The OCRCFL is a state of the art computer forensics laboratory comprised of task force officers from 15 agencies in Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties. The laboratory specializes in the archival, preservation, and analysis of items of digital evidence, including computers, mobile devices, removable media (thumb drives, CDs etc) and Audio/Video equipment.

2. I have been a computer forensic examiner for the FBI since 2001, have attended 700+ hours of specialized training in computer/device forensics, and have certifications to conduct forensic analysis on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux/Unix systems, as well as mobile devices and cell phones. I have been the Director of the OCRCFL since November of 2013.

3. I have consulted extensively with the FBI’s Cryptographic and Electronic Analysis Unit (“CEAU“) in this matter, and bring their experience to bear in this declaration.