Computer forensics is the process of using the latest knowledge of science and technology with computer science to collect, analyze, and present evidence in criminal or civil court. Network administrator and security personnel manage and administer networks and information systems must have a thorough understanding of computer forensics. The meaning of the word “forensic” is “to bring to court.” Forensic analysis is the process that deals with finding evidence and recovering data. Evidence includes many forms such as fingerprints, DNA evidence, or entire files on computer hard drives, etc. The consistency and standardization of computer forensics in the courts is not strongly recognized because it is a new discipline.
It is necessary for the network administrator and security personnel of the networked organizations to practice computer forensics and they must have knowledge of the laws because the rate of cyber crime is increasing considerably. It is very interesting for managers and staff who want to know how computer forensics can become a strategic element of the security of their organization. Staff, security personnel, and the network administrator must be knowledgeable about all topics related to computer forensics. IT experts use advanced tools and techniques to recover deleted, damaged, or corrupted data and evidence from attacks and intrusions. This evidence is collected to pursue cases in criminal and civil courts against those guilty of computer crimes.
The survivability and integrity of any organization’s network infrastructure depends on the application of computer forensics. In current situations, computer forensics should be taken as the basic element of computer and network security. It would be a great advantage for your company to know all the technical and legal aspects of computer forensics. If your network is attacked and an intruder is caught, a good understanding of computer forensics will help provide evidence and prosecute the case in court.
There are many risks if you mishandle computer forensics. If you don’t take this into account, vital evidence may be destroyed. New laws are being developed to protect customer data; but if certain types of data are not properly protected, many responsibilities can be assigned to the organization. The new rules may land organizations in criminal or civil court if organizations fail to protect customer data. Organizational money can also be saved by applying computer forensics. Some managers and staff spent a large portion of their IT budget on computer and network security. The International Data Corporation (IDC) reports that vulnerability assessment and intrusion detection software will approach $1.45 billion in 2006.
As organizations increase in number and the risk from hackers and contractors also increases, they have developed their own security systems. Organizations have developed security devices for their network, such as intrusion detection systems (IDS), proxies, firewalls that report on the security status of an organization’s network. So, technically, the main goal of computer forensics is to recognize, collect, protect, and examine data in such a way as to protect the integrity of the evidence collected for efficient and effective use in a case. Computer forensics investigation has some typical aspects. First of all, computer experts investigating computers must know the type of evidence they are looking for in order for their search to be effective. Computer crimes are very varied, such as child pornography, theft of personal data and the destruction of data or computers.
Second, computer experts or researchers must use the right tools. Investigators must have a good understanding of software, latest techniques and methods to recover deleted, encrypted or damaged files and avoid further damage in the recovery process. Two types of data are collected in computer forensics. Persistent data is stored on local drives or other media and is protected when the computer is powered off or off. Volatile data is stored in random access memory and is lost when the computer is turned off or loses power. Volatile data is found in caches, random access memory (RAM), and registers. The computer expert or researcher must know reliable ways to capture volatile data. Security personnel and network administrators must have an understanding of the effects of computer and network administration tasks on the computer forensics process and the ability to recover data lost in a security incident.