The Ethics Of Computer Forensics

A computer forensic investigation typically includes the collection, examination, analysis, and reporting of data. These steps could have been used to extract and preserve the data in the U.S. versus AOL case. Collection involves seizing digital evidence. Examination is where techniques are applied in order to identify and extract data. Analysis is using the data and resources to prove a case (Brecht, 2015). Reporting involves presenting the documentation gathered during the investigation. Investigators use these steps to examine evidence that could be needed in a trial. Following these steps is one way to ensure that the findings are sound and admissible in court. “The purpose of a computer forensic examination is to recover data from computers seized as evidence in criminal investigations (Brecht, 2015)”. Forensic tools are used by investigators to provide their collection, indexing and detailed analysis

This means that digital evidence is hard to destroy and that in order to completely remove the evidence from the internet, one must possess a high level of knowledge in the area (Casey, 2011, p.26). This means that criminals who conduct online crimes will always leave online trails and it is up to the digital forensic scientists to retrieve the evidence (Casey, 2011, p.26). This is a strength and it also shows us why digital forensic scientists can play a crucial role as they are the few people that are trained in locating the trail of evidence left behind by the

Moreover, computer technology is not only expensive but also requires highly skilled officers to use and analyze the data while also complying with the legal standards for forensic analysis, handling and storage of such computer-generated evidence. Law enforcement agencies, therefore, have to employ skilled personnel which adds to

In this case, in order to find out if the woman did downloaded or transferred those inappropriate files to the computer the investigator should try a couple of things. The very first thing the investigator should do is to interview the woman and get to hear her side of the story. Some of the questions he should ask are:

With the dramatic development in the technology of computers and communications, the entire world has certainly benefited a great deal, but the purchase price of computers might also be very expensive. Computer crimes are now becoming very serious problems that are costing as much as billions of dollars. Also, computer crimes are threatening the continuing future of communication, confidentiality, and even the integrity of businesses and organizations.

Since the introduction of computer and technology, they have become the new weapon in committing crime, and to the burgeoning science of digital evidence, law enforcement now use computers to fight crime. Nevertheless, digital evidence is information stored, transmitted, and received in binary form that can potentially be relied on as evidence in court. Notwithstanding, digital evidence is commonly associated with crimes that involve such devices, such as a computer hard drives, external storage devices, mobile phones, among others, and are often referred to as e-crimes. However, to fight e-crime, law enforcement must collect relevant digital evidence for such crimes, law enforcement agencies are incorporating the collection and analysis of digital evidence, also referred to as computer forensics, into many of their infrastructures.

Overall, forensics is an important field of science that adds to the scientific world, but also is a significant player in Criminal Law of the Judicial

Processing a crime scene is no easy task. Individuals who are trained to process and analyze these crime scenes cannot just walk into area of interest and commence handling items and taking items of possible implications of the situation. This holds true for a digital forensics investigator as well. Digital forensics investigators are looking for any possible digital evidence within the crime scene, but it’s not as simple as just finding a computer and taking it to the lab. “Digital evidence is information stored or transmitted in binary form that may be relied on in court. It can be found on a computer hard drive, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a CD, and a flash card in a digital camera, among other places” (Digital Evidence and Forensics, 2016). Identifying, preparing for the search, seizing the evidence, documentation, and chain of custody are all critical pieces of ensuring digital evidence is admissible in court.

Criminalization is a social phenomenon, which has haphazardly increased in last few years as Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has become an internal part of our daily lives. Atomic computer users and large corporate companies are increasingly dependent on services provided by ICT. ICT provides wide range of services that are utilized by individual systems as well as enormous database handling companies. For numerous reasons, something is bound to go wrong within the ICT environments which may include an intentional attack on different services provided by an organization. Digital forensics has evolved significantly in the direction of prosecuting such criminals. Making use of freely available information on internet and rapid technological advancements in ICT has contributed to performing easy investigations rather cumbersome.

Forensic Science as applied to Digital Evidence. Forensics is the use of a scientific approach to investigate and present valid evidence in a court of law. The ultimate goal of digital forensics is to collect, preserve, analyze and interpret digital evidence in support of an investigation for legal cases. This includes everything from pulling data from a smart phone or laptop to analyzing network traffic logs. Digital forensic investigators have a wide variety of tools and techniques at their disposal and must follow some basic principles when working with evidence. One of the most important guiding principles of any forensic science is that investigators must never take any action that alters the evidence itself and may lead to misinterpretation of that evidence.

Digital forensics is the process of uncovering and interpreting electronic data for use in a court of law. The main goal of the process is to preserve any evidence in its most original form while performing a structured investigation by collecting, identifying and validating the digital information which will be admissible in a court of law. To collect the document has to follow certain guidelines. United States v. Gourde (2006) and United States v. Zeigler (2007) are both great examples of cases to investigate the case. The primary goal of this document is to demonstrate the importance of digital forensics in solving criminal investigation. In the following paragraph two criminal cases are studied and analyzed.

We live in the information age; the way people communicate and practice business has changed tremendously. Everyday new technologies such as: operating systems, applications and automated software make our lives easier. As computer technologies continue to grow, the necessity of securing private information has not been an easy task for computer networking administrators and information security teams. For digital forensic investigators, staying on top of rapidly evolving technologies had become an everyday challenge. Therefore, there are several factors that play an important role to be successful in digital forensics career. First, you must become familiar with the newly OS platforms. Secondly, continuous testing, evaluation and research could expand the capabilities of a forensic lab. Lastly, forensic investigators should maintain connections with a

Forensics is a very important aspect of criminal justice. When a crime is committed and there aren’t any witnesses to the crime, forensic evidence may be the only thing that prosecutors have to work with. The use of forensics also helps identify the perpetrators of various cyber-crimes. Forensic specialists can search databases, IP addresses, and recover documents to determine who is responsible for a crime. As a result, this makes forensic labs a necessary investment for an organization.

Since the widespread use of computers, computer crime has caused an increase in computer investigations during the twenty first century. Some reasons for investigation include: identity theft, such as stolen social security and credit card numbers, to find evidence of a cheating spouse, to investigate hackers on a computer system, to find evidence of child pornography, and much more.

Currently, technology has proven to helpful tool in criminal investigation. This report analyses and discuss recent research on how ICT(Technology) helps in homicide investigation. A case study will portray how the use of evolving technology has helped in homicide investigation. The discussion focuses on influence of some of the main technology and tools used and its setbacks in modern day homicide investigations; Tools like Fingerprinting, Digital evidence (e.g. surveillance), DNA analysis, 3D reconstructions are examined and outlined in the report while portraying their effectiveness and legal setbacks.