Making media authentication easier to understand with automated analysis

Photos, videos, and other media files have become critical to investigations. They establish timelines, corroborate witness statements, and reveal details that would otherwise be overlooked.

But media is also one of the easiest forms of evidence to manipulate. Editing tools are widely available and simple to use. Metadata can be easily altered with minimal technical knowledge. Deepfake and AI-generated content continues to evolve, making it harder to distinguish authentic from manipulated media. Attorneys may question whether a file is genuine, and investigators must respond with authoritative answers that can withstand scrutiny.

Forensic examiners already know the extensive work involved in digital evidence authentication—dozens of technical tests on metadata, file structures, encoding, and internal signatures. This approach, while thorough, requires highly specialized expertise. For investigators, prosecutors, and other stakeholders who rely on this evidence, the results can be complex and difficult to understand without expert assistance. Absent clear interpretation, the value of media evidence may be diminished, potentially impacting the outcome of a case.

Bridging experts and non-experts

Automated analysis in Magnet Verify directly addresses this challenge. It provides quick and easy-to-understand explanations of file analysis in Verify. It does so in such a way that is explainable, repeatable, and demonstrably accurate. This ensures important insights are communicated clearly without sacrificing the technical rigor forensic examiners rely on. By bridging the gap between forensic experts and those who rely on the evidence, automated analysis helps ensure media files can be confidently used throughout the investigative and legal process.

Forensic examiners will always be essential to the media authentication process. Even with automated analysis benefiting non-technical audiences with clear and concise information, examiners can still access all data points within Verify to perform deep dive analysis and testify confidently in legal proceedings. Automated analysis reduces the time and effort needed to translate complex technical data into actionable insights, allowing investigative teams to respond more quickly to challenges and questions.

This approach makes media authentication accessible and practical for investigators as part of their casework. Media authentication is no longer understandable solely by expert witnesses or highly trained forensic examiners. Investigators and prosecutors can confidently assess the authenticity of files without needing deep technical expertise, ensuring media evidence can be acted upon promptly and accurately. By making forensic testing understandable and usable across the investigative chain, Verify supports faster decision-making and reduces the risk of misinterpretation. This ability to clearly communicate results efficiently summarizes the deeper technical analysis of Magnet Verify, which provides the forensic foundation behind the simplified findings.

Deep media analysis in Magnet Verify

Magnet Verify is Magnet Forensics’ solution for authenticating digital media files. It is designed to determine whether an image or video is consistent with its claimed origin or whether it shows evidence of manipulation. Verify provides a comprehensive approach to media authentication with deep-dive forensic analysis. At its core, Verify runs an extensive series of forensic tests, including:

• Structural analysis: Inspects internal file structures, unique to specific camera models or software—including editing and generative AI tools. Structural analysis discerns original media from edited, processed, or otherwise altered media. 
• Metadata validation: Several custom built, logic-based tests based on file format are deployed to identify alteration of metadata at a binary level. These tests can detect manipulations such as altered timestamps, camera identifiers, or location information.
• Proprietary structural data: Identification of every byte data in a media file, including data missed by other software, using all data within a file to answer questions about authenticity and provenance.
• Metadata analysis: Used in combination with other approaches to gain insight into media file provenance.

Verify currently provides users with over 50 data points related to file authenticity, provenance, and examination, with new techniques added regularly as media formats, devices, and editing methods evolve. These tests are thoroughly validated by forensic experts to ensure reliability and defensibility. While the technical output is comprehensive, it can be overwhelming for non-experts. Automated analysis solves this issue by translating detailed findings into actionable, easy-to-understand conclusions.

How automated analysis simplifies results

Automated analysis complements Verify’s forensic outputs by turning raw, technical findings into clear and simple results. Automated analysis generates natural language summaries that communicate the high-level meaning of technical results in a simple and accurate manner consistent with forensic reporting. For example, the automated analysis may find that, “There is strong support the submitted file is not camera original, there is support that it was last encoded by CapCut video editor.” Or it may indicate the file is camera-original and no signs of manipulation have been detected. By providing these summaries, automated analysis allows investigators, prosecutors, and other stakeholders to quickly understand the reliability of media evidence. Of course, the underlying technical details always remain accessible for examiners or legal teams for full analysis.

Automated analysis is:

• Explainable: Every result can be traced back to specific contributing tests. Users can drill down to the specific authentication pathway and decision tree that led to the result.
• Repeatable: The inclusion of specific testing logs allows for the repeatability of the process, ensuring the same media produces the same outcome, regardless of who runs the test or when it is run.
• Reliable: Automated results are based on validated forensic methods, ensuring findings are accurate, defensible, and grounded in established investigative practice.

Automated analysis in Magnet Verify enables investigators to rapidly process large volumes of media, delivering consistent and defensible results without the delays that put cases at risk. It provides transparent, repeatable findings directly traceable to validated forensic tests, ensuring evidence meets strict admissibility standards and withstands strong courtroom scrutiny.

Learn more

By combining advanced forensic rigor with automated analysis in Magnet Verify, Magnet Forensics ensures that even the most complex media authentication results can be communicated with clarity and confidence. This dedication empowers investigators, prosecutors, and forensic professionals to act decisively on critical evidence, strengthening trust in digital investigations, and supporting the pursuit of justice. Discover how Magnet Verify can give your team an investigative edge. Contact us to schedule demos, access training, and integrate Verify into your investigative workflows. Learn how automated analysis can strengthen—and simplify—your approach to media authentication.