The Roles and Duties of the Computer Forensic in the Criminal Justice Field

In the global village called the internet, notsystem.
everyone plays nice. You always hear of the2. The forensic investigator must then document
word "hack". It is mostly used in relation tothe configuration of the system as you would
invading of computers. Most of these are notdocument a crime scene. This should include the
entirely true but computer network systems doorder of hard drives, modem, LAN, storage
get hacked. If and when it does happen, it usuallysubsystems, cable connections, and wireless
involves something sinister.networking hardware. The analyst may make a
Even employees of companies do engage indiagram to go along with the digital photographs.
snooping or to use our favorite word, hacking.They will also take portable storage devices within
The birth of the internet has led to more of this.the area that may contain substantial evidence.
Anyone can be anything online. This is why fraud,3. The computer forensic expert must take all
phishing, and identity theft happen.the evidence to the lab. This is because the
The computer has become an important part ofanalyst should not examine the evidence in the
everyday life. Sending letters have been entirelysame hardware. People who engage in cyber
changed by emails. Communications have beencrimes are also aware that important data can be
dominated by instant and text messaging. Portableretrieved to convict them. Countermeasures,
storage devices that were an exclusive preserveviruses and booby traps may be installed in the
of Information Technology professionals are nowsystem to damage electronic evidence.
used by the general public.Analysts take the hard drive in their lab instead to
I think you are already getting the idea of whymake an exact duplicate of its contents. This
computer forensics are needed. In the event thatprocess is called Imaging. Analysts have their own
hacking does occur, the computer forensic will dotools to make sure that the data is copied
the following:completely and accurately.
1. Like any other investigation, the computerThe duplicate will then be verified by an algorithm.
forensic must handle the area as a crime scene.The data is then examined and analyzed. The
He or she will take digital photographs and secureanalyst makes a report of his or her findings and
documentary evidence. This will include printouts,the process that was taken during the
notes and disks in the scene.investigation starting from the acquisition of the
If you are the one who hired the computerdata. This evidence will be presented in court if
forensic expert, you should leave everything toprosecution is necessary.
them. The computer system should be left as isThe computer forensic plays many roles and
whether it is turned on or off.duties in the criminal justice field. It is hard to
If the computer was left on, the analyst willcover all of them in this short article. I encourage
gather all the information that he or she can fromyou to do more reading if you are interested in
the running applications. The computer will then bethis field. You can do this by visiting websites that
shutdown in a way that the data will not be lost.cover the profession in more detail.
Doing a standard shutdown or pulling the plug isNote: You are free to reprint or republish this
not an option. Both of these methods may causearticle. The only condition is that the links should
the loss or damage of the data in the computerbe clickable.