computer-forensics

What is Computer Forensics?

Computers have radically changed the way we live your lives. Everyday living as become easier and technologically advanced decades ago. It has changed the way we work and the way we live in our houses. Children to day are sometimes even more technologically aware than their parents. Mobiles phones have gotten smaller and laptops have gotten slimmer.

With the launch of the Iphone that used the touch screen technology it will only be a matter of time when this idea permeates into other devices and appliances. Unfortunately, technology also makes it easier for criminals to their dirty job. However, computer forensics makes sure that technology is put to lawful use.

Everyone keeps up with the times, even the criminals. The internet is a public place which makes it vulnerable for fraud. Criminals often take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Law enforcement agencies have incorporated computer science in their investigation process to aid them with computer savvy criminals.

Crime and computers

We have seen a lot of Hollywood movies about hackers stealing from financial institutions. We have also seen two parties making their deals through bank transfers with a bunch of computers. Although these are not possible in real life, there are other ways that criminals can use computers.

Computer forensics is basically applying computer science to assist in the legal process. It entails the technological and systematic inspection of the contents of a computer system for evidence. Individuals in this field are called by different titles such as digital media analyst or computer forensics investigator. These people scanned a computer thoroughly to find out if they have used for a civil wrongdoing or criminal act.

The skills required are more than just normal data collection and using preservation techniques. Other definitions include the use of special tools to meet the Court's criteria and not just a thorough examination of a computer for potential evidence. This definition is similar to Electric Evidentiary Recovery or e-discovery.

Most of the time computer forensic investigators investigate hard drives, portable data devices and data storage devices. These devices include USB Drives, Micro Drives and external Drives.

The first task of the computer forensic investigator is to find sources of documentary or digital evidence. The next step would be to preserve the evidence so that it could be analyzed later on. When dealing with computer systems, important files or data can be quickly lost.

The investigator should take the necessary test because data retrieval can be time consuming and costly. The investigator would then analyze the collected data for potential and supportive evidence. The final step would be presenting the findings. The investigator will render his opinion based on the examination and make a report.

The process of using computer forensics must comply with the standards of evidence that are acceptable in court. This field is both technical and legal. The investigator should also have a complete understanding of the suspect's level of sophistication. If they don't the suspects are assumed to be experts.

Investigators then presume that the criminal have installed a countermeasure to render forensic techniques useless. The computer will then be shutdown completely to prohibit the machine from making further modifications to its drives.

Computer technology has changed the way we live, work, and for others - commit crime. Although the internet may seem like a very convenient place users should always be wary for seemingly innocent offers.

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computer-forensics-problems

What Remains to be Today's Computer Forensics Problem?

Computer forensics is one the fields today which often gets updated. Many agencies have found the application of computer forensics very useful especially in the investigation of fraudulent actions and crimes. More so, computer forensics is the procedure that is applied when electronic devices such as the computer media is placed under careful investigation.

The process involves the discovery and analysis of any available data whether they have been hidden or deleted. These are among the evidences that will support the defense and claim of a particular individual or company as they file for any legal action.

Moreover, computer forensics specialists use the tools that recover both the accidentally and intentionally erased files and information. So whether the loss of the data is blamed to the untoward occurrences of hardware failure, there is a better chance of recuperating them. One of the biggest computer forensics problems though is how to retain the original data without the slightest alteration in them.

So much to say, even during the process of shutting down the computer system to transfer the data into another media may cause changes in them. It is important that the computer forensics expert has the skill to maintain the exact form of the data. Nobody can exactly say when the data may be altered but with the most apt tool and the specialist's skills, it can be possibly prevented.

Computer forensics attracted the attention of the public during the height of the Enron scandal which prompted the widest-ranging computer forensics investigation marked in the world's history. As computers these days are becoming an integral part of human life, big quantities of data are being stored in these electronic devices.

More so, crimes and other fraudulent acts are likewise increasing in intervals. Computer forensics investigations are also done in emails, websites visited, chat histories, and many other forms of electronic communications.

The advances in today's technology have shaped the improvement of computer forensics. The developers continually upgrade their tools to meet the increasing intensities of computer forensics problems. Modern software and tools are coming out into the market which nonetheless makes the task easier for the computer forensics experts. Thus, data is found and restored faster and with more preciseness.

These evidences need to be in their original format especially when they are to be used as evidences in the court. These proofs are often gathered from all kinds of computer media such as the discs, Pen drives, tapes, memory sticks, logs, emails, PDAs, handhelds, deleted information, and hidden documents.

The people's common notion is that when the data is deleted from its location, the file is already completely deleted and unfound. This makes you wrong though. Upon deletion, what is erased is only that of the data's reference location but the actual document remains intact in your computer system.

It is easiest to tell that the data have been deleted but the common computer forensics problem is where and how to find it and how to recover them without making traces of changes. Thus, the solution to the dilemma will entirely depend on the computer forensics professional's skills.

Computer data security is very important so it is also significant that they remain original. Part of the training of these professionals includes the molding of their skills to be careful when handling the recovery of the data at all times.

However, it is not for them to conclude when data may be altered or not. This remains as one of the top computer forensics problems to date.

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Computer ForensicI nvestigation State Requirements

Computer Forensic Investigation State Requirements
By definition, computer forensics is the procedure wherein an expert sees through the files stored or recorded in a computer's system. These data may have been deleted, hidden, or saved. The search for the computer-related information uncovers the engagement in any crime or deception.
Computer forensics is nonetheless being widely used in the areas of intelligence, military, businesses, and law enforcement agencies. There is obviously a protocol that is followed in the course of the computer forensic investigation since the collected, analyzed, and examined data are presented before the courts of law in the effort of uncovering the malicious acts incurred by certain parties.
Moreover, as it is related to a legal action, it is but necessary that the computer forensic investigation state requirements are observed.
Computer forensics is an application which is not only confined to the recovery of any lost data. Such field is more so used in giving explanations and providing insights to any committed crime. Computer forensic investigation is often employed to collect the pertinent data in finding out the truth about a criminal or suspect to a crime.
With today's wide use of the Internet and the computer, it is very possible that clues may be traced from the electronic media sources. More so, the company employers are nowadays seeking for employees who are equipped with the rightful knowledge on the techniques and tools about computer forensic investigations.
It is necessary that the person is qualified to handle the task. Needless to say, a formal education on the said field is required. Among the instructions which the computer forensics training institutes tackle about are the enhancement of one's computer skills, important legal issues, and the needed computer forensic tools and techniques to be applied in different cases.
There are various computer forensic investigation state requirements and they vary from one state to another. However, we must touch on with the most common requisites which apply to all of them. The following discussion will provide you with the insights on the computer forensic state requirements for your perusal.
First of all, it is a must that the individual is a computer forensic professional. For one to attain this, a particular training course must be undertaken. Certificate programs in computer forensics are offered in a lot of institutions. The academic requirements differ too and it matters that one passes all of them.
Next, one must contain in him an all-embracing knowledge about the computer systems and how its applications and programs work. With these, one must also have the skill or the ability to restore any lost information from all types of electronic media but without the occurrence of any changes in them.
A forensic investigator must be knowledgeable of the computer software and hardware and must be capable of understanding the various operating systems in use these days.
An investigator should know the techniques to be used in uncovering the data from any type of file structure. There are different tools which need to be used in various cases.
Most importantly, a computer forensic investigator must be able to generate a refined report so that all of the input data are comprehensible enough even for those who don't understand the technicalities of the investigation.
These are just among the computer forensic investigation state requirements that must be strictly observed for a more precise result in the findings and conclusions in a particular case.

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