Duties Of A Computer Forensic Expert

| Tuesday, April 12, 2016
By Frances Adams


Computer forensics falls under digital forensic science. It deals with anything to do with evidence and data found in digital storage media and computers. Another name for the field is computer forensic science. This field aims to examine digital media from a forensic perspective with the goal to preserve, identify, analyze, recover, and present opinions and facts about digital information found therein. The expert who specializes in this kind of work is referred to as a computer forensic expert. It is one of the fields that is gaining a lot of popularity, especially in the face of increased cases of cyber crime.

The field of digital forensic science is a relatively new one with a short history. The creation and development of this profession became necessary in the early 1980s following the increased availability of personal computers to members of the public. With the increase came a number of computer crimes as people used the help of computers to commit crime. Thus, computer-aided crime became an issue and has continued to cause mayhem, being termed as cyber crime today.

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.

The scope of digital forensic is very wide. It goes beyond simple retrieval of information to reconstruction of events. The application of this field in legal proceedings is guided by very strict and rigid rules. This is often contrasted from the flexibility found within the civilian domain. This science has been used in many high-profile cases and continues to become an accepted and reliable source of evidence in European and US courts.

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 professionals also provide expert testimonies for court proceedings and train officers of law enforcement about procedures used in digital evidence. They remain relevant in the profession by keeping abreast with emerging software, methodologies, and technologies. This requires them to read and research on new technologies and those that are getting retired.

Possessing reverse engineering skills is needed. To catch criminals, one must be able to think like one in reverse. People with skills in forensic science can work in a number of places. Among those places are local, state, and federal governments, legal firms, private consulting firms, large corporations, and law enforcement agencies.

Surviving in the job requires one to have good oral and writing skills. One must be able to effectively communicate the evidence they gather from systems to relevant parties both in writing and in speech. Curiosity and insight are also two very important skills needed.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment