What is Computer Forensics and What Does a Computer Investigator Do?
Computer forensics, as the name suggests, is a branch of overall forensic science particularly involved with exploring evidences that might be hidden in various digital computing components. Most computer forensic studies revolve around unearthing hidden data from digital storage devices such as hard disks, CD ROMS and flash memories.
Over the years, the science of computer forensics has branched variedly and spread its wings to other fields such as email files, processing systems and even the data packets traveling on a network. Basically, any information explaining a sequence of events that can be retrieved from a digital computing device comes under the head of Computer Forensics.
Technology is being used more than ever before, to commit grave crimes, today. In order to keep a step ahead of the culprits, various detective and investigative agencies around the world, have bolstered their computer forensic wings and equipped them with the expertise to combat such crimes. Firewall forensics, database forensics and network & mobile device forensics are some of the many fields that have emerged out of computer forensics in the last decade or so.
Typically, an investigation based on computer forensics is divided into five broad sections- preparation, collection, examination, and analysis and reporting. Much like any other forensic investigation, evidences based on computer forensics have been and can be used to implicate the culprits in courts of law all over the world. Many financial frauds and other such grievous crimes have been unearthed using computer forensics lately.
A computer investigator may be assigned a number of tasks, depending upon the technicalities of the crime and the investigator’s expertise. It the investigator is a data retrieval expert, he might be assigned the job of collecting and searching evidence from damaged or corrupted storage mediums. Retrieval experts would be expected to recover lost/hidden/obvious data from devices like USB storage devices, hard disks, digital cameras, mobile phones, web pages, emails and remote storage locations.
The analysts have to keep certain things in mind while handling important pieces of information, which might serve as evidence at a later stage. Documenting everything that has been collected as part of possible evidence is important. This practice becomes all the more important in the light of the fact that various cases last for years and detectives handling the case might change over such a long period of time. Therefore, having everything documented helps a newly appointed detective to the case in grasping the current situation better.
Establishing a proper chain of items and evidences in custody is also an important aspect of computer forensic investigator. Apart from this, the investigator is required to handle the evidence in the most careful manner in order to avoid loss of evidence or tampering with it in any form. Besides, being able to differentiate between bogus and genuine pieces of information and being able to translate raw data into perceivable evidence in terms of law are some of the most elementary skills that the investigator must posses.
For more updated Computer Forensics information:
- What is Computer Forensics and What Does a Computer Investigator Do?
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- How to Earn a Computer Forensic Certification?
- Top 10 Computer Forensic Schools
- Tips and Advice for Computer Forensic Beginners
- How to Earn Yourself a High-paid Computer Forensics Job
- How to Get Yourself a Computer Forensics Certification at Home
- Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Start a Computer Forensic Career