Friday, April 1, 2016

By Frances Adams


Computer forensics is a branch of digital forensic science that is concerned with evidence found in computers and other digital storage media. This field is also referred to using the term computer forensic science. The goal of this field of study is examining digital media forensically with the intention to identify, preserve, recover, analyze, and present opinions and facts concerning digital information therein. The professional who does this job is called a computer forensic expert.

Digital forensic science is a new field with a relatively short history. Its creation and development was made necessary by the increase in the number of people who owned personal computers in the 1980s. People used personal computers as tools for committing computer-related crimes. A steady increase in the crimes led to the birth of the term cyber crime, which is now a global issue affecting companies in all industries.

The rise in computer-aided crime made it necessary to have a field that would teach people techniques of investigating and recovering digital evidence for use in court. Now, the field is used to investigate many different crimes including fraud, espionage, child pornography, rape and cyberstalking among others. It also features in civil proceedings as a method for gathering information in cases.

Digital forensic has a very wide scope. The scope extends outside simple data retrieval to event reconstruction. Strict and rigid laws govern how this field applies in legal proceedings. Such strictness and rigidity is opposite to what happens within the civilian domain when this profession is applied. Several high-profile cases have made use of this field and its acceptance and reliability as source of evidence is increasing in courts in Europe and the US.

Forensic science professionals have numerous duties and responsibilities. Examples of their responsibilities include investigating security incidents and data breaches, recovering and analyzing data from computing equipment, and dismantling and reconstructing damaged digital systems. They do not work with data and devices alone. They write technical reports, give counsel regarding legitimacy of evidence, and prepare evidence used in courts.

These experts also give expert testimonies in court proceedings and train law enforcement officers concerning procedures employed in digital evidence. To remain relevant in the field, these professionals have to keep abreast with emerging technologies, methodologies, and software. This implies that they have to do a lot of reading and research to know what technologies are emerging in the market and which ones are being retired.

Having reverse engineering skills is vital in this field. One must be able to think like a criminal backwards. There are many employers for professional of forensic science. Some of them include law enforcement, private consulting firms, legal firms, federal, state, and local governments, and large corporations.

To survive in this job, one must possess good writing and oral skills. Evidence gathered need to be communicated effectively to stakeholders in writing as well as oral communication. Besides good communication skills, one must also possess high level of curiosity and insight.




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