In many cases, computer forensics specialists deal with restoring lost data and protecting sensitive or classified information. Digital forensics ensures and supports cybersecurity in the private sector and assists law enforcement in investigating criminal cases. The fast-paced development and implementation of new technologies in all areas of human activity require training computer experts to deal with specific objectives. These objectives include:. Like any other branch of applied science, digital forensics has its protocols and a structured process.
It can be divided into five stages: identifying, preserving, analyzing, documenting, and representing steps. The first stage implies the identification of investigation goals and required resources.
The analysts also identify the evidence, the type of data they deal with, and the devices the data is stored on. Digital forensics specialists work with all kinds of electronic storage devices: hard drives, mobile phones, personal computers, tablets, etc. At this stage, analysts ensure that the data is isolated and preserved.
Usually, it means that no one can use the device until the end of the investigation, so the evidence remains secure. The analysis stage includes a deep systematic search for any relevant evidence. The specialists work with both system and user files and data objects.
Based on the found evidence, the analysts draw conclusions. At this stage, all the found relevant evidence is documented. It helps to extend the crime scene and prompts investigation. Any digital evidence is recorded together with the photos, sketches, and crime scene mapping.
At the early stages of digital forensics development, the specialists had a very limited choice of tools used to analyze digital evidence. It led to multiple allegations that such analysis might have caused evidence to be altered and corrupted.
Inevitably, there emerged sophisticated tools designed specifically for digital forensics analysis. Digital evidence is any sort of data stored and collected from any electronic storage device. Digital evidence can also be retrieved from wireless networks and random-access memory.
There are many types of electronic evidence and methodologies of their retrieval, storage, and analysis. The types of electronic evidence include but are not limited to the following examples:. Digital forensics is a fast-growing scientific discipline. It evolves in response to the tremendous development of technology. At the current stage, digital forensics has its branches specializing in narrow fields. Computer forensics provides the collection, identification, preservation, and analysis of data from personal computers, laptops, and storage computing devices.
Specialists in computer forensics are mostly involved in investigations of computer crimes, but their services are often needed in civil cases and the process of data recovery. This type of analysis is required to retrieve audio and visual data, contacts, and call logs from the devices presented in court as evidence. The network specialists analyze traffic and activity in case of security breaches, cyberattacks, and other incidents in cyberspace.
Database forensic specialists investigate any access to a database and report any changes made in the data. Database forensics can be used to verify commercial contracts and to investigate large-scale financial crimes. Email forensics analysts retrieve relevant data from email. The specialists in this branch detect, analyze, and investigate different malware types to trace suspects and reasons for the attack.
They also evaluate the damage caused by the attack and determine the code of the malware. This type of digital forensics is also called live acquisition. It retrieves the data from RAM. The recent development in cybercrime technology enables hackers to leave no traces on hard drives.
In such cases, memory forensics helps to track down the attack. Wireless forensics uses specific tools and methodologies to analyze and investigate traffic in a wireless environment. This type of analysis is crucial when computer crimes or cyberattacks are committed through the breach of security protocols in wireless networks.
Specialists in disk forensics retrieve and recover data from hard drives and other physical storage devices, such as memory cards, servers, flash drives, and external USB sticks.
Disk forensics analysts make sure any data relevant to the case is recovered, analyzed, and presented as evidence. Location can significantly affect the career of a digital forensics analyst. Professional opportunities for computer forensics specialists usually cluster in major metropolitan areas and seats of government. Salaries also tend to rise in big cities, but the raw numbers tell only part of the story when it comes to earnings. Emerging computer forensics specialists should also consider their lifestyle needs and preferences alongside factors like cost of living and quality of life.
For example, the affordable cost of living in a smaller city or more remote state can offset the lower salaries typically paid in such areas. Staying up to date on cost of living indices can help people with the mobility to respond to job offers in different destinations. Consider the data in the following table, which highlights several locations where computer forensics specialists enjoy above-average earnings. Organizations related to law enforcement, intelligence, and domestic security rank among the leading employers of digital forensics specialists.
In these public-sector settings, investigators typically spend most of their time on cases involving criminal elements. Their work often serves as evidence in court cases. While these functions also extend to the private sector, the day-to-day duties of analysts in certain industries can differ significantly.
Computer forensics analysts in IT, for example, usually function as parts of cybersecurity incident response teams. Their duties include analyzing successful and attempted breaches to identify and remediate the vulnerability that granted unauthorized system access.
In other private settings, such as financial services, defense, and other industries that involve proprietary or sensitive information, analysts help deter and neutralize risks posed by insiders. Employee malfeasance represents one of the leading threats to such organizations, and computer forensics specialists play a major role in preventing and investigating them.
Applicable majors include computer science and computer engineering, as well as specialized cybersecurity degrees that offer concentrated study paths in digital forensics. Computer forensics analysts also benefit from earning professional certifications. While these credentials technically remain optional for many positions, an increasingly competitive employment landscape means candidates stand much better chances of landing a job if they hold at least one recognized industry certification.
Computer forensics experts must constantly expand, improve, refresh, and upgrade their skills to ensure they remain current and capable of responding to any incident or threat. The following subsections offer details on computer forensics analyst requirements. Use them as a guide for plotting out an ideal career track while bearing in mind that specific positions may require additional qualifications.
Students seeking computer forensics analyst degrees can look for programs in areas like computer science, computer engineering, and cybersecurity. Schools increasingly offer specialized cybersecurity programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and these generally offer a more direct path into the profession. Supplementing a degree with professional certifications can pay dividends in the form of improved earning potential and employment opportunities.
The next subsection examines these learning paths in greater detail. Candidates do not need a formally issued license to become a computer forensics analyst, but employers often prefer candidates who hold one or more of the following:. Required Experience for Computer Forensics Analysts. Experience is a critical qualification for advancing into leadership roles. However, computer forensics specialists can land their first jobs in the field without experience if they possess the right education, skills, credentials, and aptitudes.
Even so, employers typically favor candidates who have at least some firsthand working knowledge of what their future job will entail. As such, experiential learning opportunities can greatly enhance the value of a degree. If possible, select a degree program that includes optional or mandatory field training, such as a work placement or practicum. This opportunity allows emerging professionals to put their learning into practice in a supervised capacity. Most reputable, accredited degree-granting institutions feature career services offices, which can act as excellent launching pads for job searches.
Some computer science departments even host their own career centers, giving graduates priority access to industry-specific resources. Beyond these resources, consider venues like job fairs, trade shows, and conferences hosted by respected professional organizations.
As in many other fields, mentor relationships and personal networking efforts can also lead to job opportunities. This popular job search and career development portal supports a helpful feature for new graduates: the ability to specifically seek out entry-level positions.
In addition to offering job listings, Glassdoor allows users to research companies and evaluate their suitability as a potential employer. Another industry-specific portal, NinjaJobs brands itself as the leading job search platform for information security professionals. As with any career path, computer forensics professionals can branch out into adjacent roles and positions with more responsibility once they gain experience.
Common examples include:. Most organizations, and especially those in law enforcement, employ teams that include digital forensics analysts. Computer forensics directors lead and supervise those teams, making this path a natural fit for skilled investigators seeking to rise into positions of greater responsibility. Experience requirements vary but tend to fall in the range of plus years. Salaries typically represent the high end of the range paid to regular analysts. Digital forensics analysts sometimes opt for self-employment as freelance security consultants , which broadens the scope of their work beyond investigations to include analyses of organizational IT security assets.
This type of work gives them the freedom to vary the type of work they do, move between sectors and industries, and build their own businesses. In addition, many mobile devices store information about the locations where the device traveled and when it was there. To gain this knowledge, investigators can access an average of the last cell locations accessed by a mobile device.
Satellite navigation systems and satellite radios in cars can provide similar information. Even photos posted to social media such as Facebook may contain location information. Photos taken with a Global Positioning System GPS -enabled device contain file data that shows when and exactly where a photo was taken.
By gaining a subpoena for a particular mobile device account, investigators can collect a great deal of history related to a device and the person using it. Many agencies do not have a digital evidence expert on hand and, if they do, the officer might be a specialist in cell phones but not social media or bank fraud.
Many take an interest in the area and learn what they can, but there is no single path to digital evidence expertise—qualifications and certifications are not standardized across the country. Incorporation of digital seizure techniques is becoming more widespread in first responder training.
Certified Digital Media Examiners are investigators who have the education, training and experience to properly exploit this sensitive evidence. That said, there is no single certifying body, and certification programs can contain different courses of study. Generally speaking, these professionals have demonstrated core competencies in pre-examination procedures and legal issues, media assessment and analysis, data recovery, specific analysis of recovered data, documentation and reporting, and presentation of findings.
While certification of examiners is not required in most agencies, it is becoming a widely valued asset and the numbers of certified examiners will increase. Vendor-neutral not software based, but theory- and process-based certification is offered through the Digital Forensics Certification Board DFCB , an independent certifying organization for digital evidence examiners, the National Computer Forensics Academy at the High Tech Crime Institute and some colleges.
These forces comprise officers with specialized training, including search, seizure and exploitation of digital evidence as it pertains to their area of expertise. Agencies and investigators must work together to ensure the highest level of security and evidence handling is used. On the scene: As anyone who has dropped a cell phone in a lake or had their computer damaged in a move or a thunderstorm knows, digitally stored information is very sensitive and easily lost.
Once the scene has been secured and legal authority to seize the evidence has been confirmed, devices can be collected. Any passwords, codes or PINs should be gathered from the individuals involved, if possible, and associated chargers, cables, peripherals, and manuals should be collected.
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