Types of Computer Forensics Software
Tools are needed in order to
efficiently do a job. This is true for all professions including that of
computer forensics professionals. This is why these experts in computer
forensics maintain a set of computer forensics software that they use to
regularly do their job. These tools enable them to efficiently extract digital
data from a host of electronic devices in all kinds of conditions. Here are a
few types of those software.
Data Retrieval Software – data
retrieval is the essential task of computer forensics professionals. Most
computer evidence comes in the form of electronic data. As such a computer
forensic professional must be able to extract data from all kinds of digital
devices. Data retrieval software can make things easier for them by automating
some of the mundane tasks of locating where the data is stored and extracting
them. These special software can even extract data from encrypted systems,
password protected archives and even from damaged memory storage devices like
hard drives and DVD-RWs. Data retrieval software is an important part of a
computer forensics professional’s toolkit. These software are not only able to
extract data from computers, they can also extract them from mobile phones,
PDAs and even digital music players.
Network Investigation Software
– another important aspect of computer
forensics is network investigations. More and more data is now stored on
networked servers online. More and more crimes are also committed over the
network lines. Take for example a murder case. Computer forensics is done on
the computer and its corresponding internet activities in order to determine if
the victim was stalked by the murderer online. Special software that detect
illegal hacking activities, tapping as well as taking over a computer is used
by the forensics expert in order to trace the source of these illegal
activities. These software programs are power enough that they can trace an
illegal intrusion back to the source computer and tap all its components in
order to identify the perpetrator. Sometimes they can be able to turn the
criminal’s web cam on in order to get a facial identification of the criminal.
Data Reconstruction Software – technically inclined criminals sometimes
destroy their computers to attempt to destroy any compromising evidence that it
contains. They usually do this in panic while they are being arrested.
Sometimes these hard drives are physically damaged that there’s almost no hope
of retrieving data from it. However there are specialized software that
forensics experts can use to attempt to reconstruct data from these damaged
drives.
There are a lot of other computer
forensics software aside from these the three previously mentioned types.
These are developed by private companies side by side with law enforcement.
Most of these software are so exclusive, you need a special license just to be
able to buy and use them.