Computer Forensics- Getting to the Root of Computer Evidence ...

The collection, preservation and analysis of computer related evidence is the science behind computer forensics. This art involves analyzing computer evidence to determine who is responsible for a crime or violation. Studies indicate that most crimes whether civil, criminal, or even company frauds leave behind some digital footprints. In many cases, a large percentage of evidence produced is usually in digital form. With digital forensics, information can be gathered from a wide range of sources. For instance, evidence may be obtained from computer print outs made on a specific computer. Data transferred through the Internet in form of emails and also in social networking sites also comes in handy.

Some of the crimes for which computer investigations come in handy include frauds. Fraud is mainly internal and could be conducted by inner persons such as employees of a company. Cases of theft of company?s private information are known to occur. Such private information including company strategies may then be sold to competitors. Financial crimes such as credit card frauds and also embezzlement of funds can be investigated through the computer. Crimes such as identity theft entail manipulation of peoples? personal information and investigations for such cases call for e-disclosure. Some social crimes such as child pornography are likely to be supported by vast computer evidence.

Besides the computer evidence, mobile phone forensics is also very common. This enables authorities to get information regarding mobile phone investigations. A lot of exchange of information is likely to take place through mobile phones. Retrieving such information could give all the evidence needed in a case. Companies that offer forensics services are experts in data recovery. They have the capacity to extract deleted data in the handset and other mobile phone components such as the memory cards. With advanced forensic data extraction techniques, extracting of information from handsets is quick and efficient.

In office settings especially, many if not all employees have access to one or several computers. Therefore, cases of computer misuse are very common. The people within an organization also have access to other peripherals such as external hard drives. The crimes committed by an employee in a company may range from social crimes to criminal ones. For instance, employees may access some inappropriate sites such as pornographic sites and this may compromise the integrity of the company. Other common cases include excessive use of computers for personal use thus wasting company resources. Also common is theft of company information; such crimes can be revealed through e-discovery.

Usually, e-disclosure outsourcing is recommended when seeking digital evidence. You could be wondering whether you can conduct forensics personally instead of hiring external services. It is worth noting that improper handling of computers could compromise the data therein. Therefore, instead of attempting to retrieve information personally, it is advisable to hire expert services. Even the employees in your company?s IT department may still not have the necessary forensic skills. On the other hand, expert firms are not only equipped with well trained staff but they also have in place state of the art e-discovery software.

Paul Bromby is the author of this article on e-disclosure experts. Find more information, about mobile phone forensics here

Source: http://articles-plus.com/computer-forensics-getting-to-the-root-of-computer-evidence.html

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