| In the global village called the internet, not | | | | would document a crime scene. This should include |
| everyone plays nice. You always hear of the | | | | the order of hard drives, modem, LAN, storage |
| word "hack". It is mostly used in relation to | | | | subsystems, cable connections, and wireless |
| invading of computers. Most of these are not | | | | networking hardware. The analyst may make a |
| entirely true but computer network systems do | | | | diagram to go along with the digital photographs. |
| get hacked. If and when it does happen, it usually | | | | They will also take portable storage devices within |
| involves something sinister. Even employees of | | | | the area that may contain substantial evidence. 3. |
| companies do engage in snooping or to use our | | | | The computer forensic expert must take all the |
| favorite word, hacking. The birth of the internet | | | | evidence to the lab. This is because the analyst |
| has led to more of this. Anyone can be anything | | | | should not examine the evidence in the same |
| online. This is why fraud, phishing, and identity | | | | hardware. People who engage in cyber crimes are |
| theft happen. The computer has become an | | | | also aware that important data can be retrieved |
| important part of everyday life. Sending letters | | | | to convict them. Countermeasures, viruses and |
| have been entirely changed by emails. | | | | booby traps may be installed in the system to |
| Communications have been dominated by instant | | | | damage electronic evidence. Analysts take the |
| and text messaging. Portable storage devices that | | | | hard drive in their lab instead to make an exact |
| were an exclusive preserve of Information | | | | duplicate of its contents. This process is called |
| Technology professionals are now used by the | | | | Imaging. Analysts have their own tools to make |
| general public. I think you are already getting the | | | | sure that the data is copied completely and |
| idea of why computer forensics are needed. In | | | | accurately. The duplicate will then be verified by |
| the event that hacking does occur, the computer | | | | an algorithm. The data is then examined and |
| forensic will do the following: 1. Like any other | | | | analyzed. The analyst makes a report of his or |
| investigation, the computer forensic must handle | | | | her findings and the process that was taken |
| the area as a crime scene. He or she will take | | | | during the investigation starting from the |
| digital photographs and secure documentary | | | | acquisition of the data. This evidence will be |
| evidence. This will include printouts, notes and | | | | presented in court if prosecution is necessary. |
| disks in the scene. If you are the one who hired | | | | The computer forensic plays many roles and |
| the computer forensic expert, you should leave | | | | duties in the criminal justice field. It is hard to |
| everything to them. The computer system should | | | | cover all of them in this short article. I encourage |
| be left as is whether it is turned on or off. If the | | | | you to do more reading if you are interested in |
| computer was left on, the analyst will gather all | | | | this field. You can do this by visiting websites that |
| the information that he or she can from the | | | | cover the profession in more detail. Note: You are |
| running applications. The computer will then be | | | | free to reprint or republish this article. The only |
| shutdown in a way that the data will not be lost. | | | | condition is that the links should be clickable. |
| Doing a standard shutdown or pulling the plug is | | | | Copywrite Kenneth Echie. Kenneth writes for |
| not an option. Both of these methods may cause | | | | Criminal Justice Degrees. Get free scholarship |
| the loss or damage of the data in the computer | | | | report and learn about Computer Forensics by |
| system. 2. The forensic investigator must then | | | | visiting. |
| document the configuration of the system as you | | | | |