Responsibilities Of A Computer Forensic Expert

By Frances Adams


Computer forensics is a branch of digital forensic science that is concerned with evidence found in computers and other digital storage media. This field is also referred to using the term computer forensic science. The goal of this field of study is examining digital media forensically with the intention to identify, preserve, recover, analyze, and present opinions and facts concerning digital information therein. The professional who does this job is called a computer forensic expert.

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.

It became necessary to have people trained in techniques of recovering and investigating digital evidence to use in courts when computer-aided crimes rose. The application of the field has now expanded and is used to investigate rape, espionage, child pornography, cyberstalking, and fraud among other crimes. It also became a method of information gathering in legal proceedings.

Digital forensic has a very wide scope. The scope extends outside simple data retrieval to event reconstruction. Strict and rigid laws govern how this field applies in legal proceedings. Such strictness and rigidity is opposite to what happens within the civilian domain when this profession is applied. Several high-profile cases have made use of this field and its acceptance and reliability as source of evidence is increasing in courts in Europe and the US.

People who work in this field have many responsibilities. The responsibilities are many and very diverse. For instance, they investigate data breaches and security incidents, recover and examine data from computing devices, and dismantle and rebuild damaged computing system. The job is not restricted to dealing with computing devices and data alone. They also compile evidence for use in court, write technical reports, and give advice concerning credibility of retrieved data.

In cases where court proceedings need expert testimonies, these professionals provide them besides providing training on procedures of digital evidence to law enforcement officers. They have to know about emergent methodologies, technologies, and software to remain relevant in the job. Thus, the conduct research on what technologies are being introduced and ones that are being retired.

Having reverse engineering skills is vital in this field. One must be able to think like a criminal backwards. There are many employers for professional of forensic science. Some of them include law enforcement, private consulting firms, legal firms, federal, state, and local governments, and large corporations.

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.




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