What’s The Buzz About Computer Forensics?

What’s The Buzz About Computer Forensics?

In case you haven’t heard, Computer forensics is a recently growing profession among IT specialists that aims to serve private and public agencies.  IT specialists are named as such due to not only their expertise in computer software, but even hardware issues as well.  The forensics aspect of it comes into play when dealing with both ethical and criminal concerns, which would include theft, fraud and misuse of intellectual property.  You have to admit, with the rapid innovations and advancements in technology today, you’d have to start being fearful and concerned about the possibility of a computer crime occurring with you as the victim.

This field of specialty mainly follows the traditional rules and principles pertaining to scientific investigation.  Everything involved in the process requires a systematic approach, with every detail kept well recorded and documented, and ensured that they are within the prohibitions of the law.  When it comes to the methodology of things, it all starts out with the identification of several sources as far as digital evidence is concerned.  Then, it is followed by the intention to preserve that evidence from being wiped out, altered or corrupted.  You then have to make sure every piece of evidence is thoroughly analyzed and studied, and finally you can present the evidence in an appropriate manner which comes in handy to the situation at hand.

Managing the computer system and making sure that data it contains is kept safe and secure while continuing the protection of any sensitive information or evidence makes an IT specialist a good forensic specialist.  Anyone in this field of expertise knows that it has to explore both the computer itself, and the server connections or networks it has any relevance with.  It allows an analyst to meticulously study and discover any hidden data, and making sure all sensitive information is well-encrypted by way of a password that’s really hard to decipher, ensuring the company it aims to serve that all data is secured on a well-protected computer system.  If any files are deleted, then forensics can easily recover those oh-so important documents which may contain relevant information to the situation.  When you look at it in a deeper level, a lot of times IT forensics involve recovering files that have intentionally been deleted from the network, and even from mobile devices.  Any good specialist in this field can recover information on every text message or phone call that has been made, all for the safety and security of the public trust.

Computer forensics has come a long way, and it is a specialty that is here to stay for quite a long time.  With a steady growth, you no longer have to worry about your computer and all your information being stolen from right under your nose.