Computer Forensics – Fighting Cyber Crime
In the last decade, the internet has enormously expanded its range of applications with emails becoming the more prevalent mode of communication and e-marketing, the strongest marketing medium. The advancement in software technology and hence the dependency of companies and corporations on computer systems has made them extremely vulnerable to cyber crimes. This is where computer forensic experts come into plays. These professionals, equipped with the latest computer forensic tools, combat cyber crimes ranging from hacked computers to manipulated information on hard drives and other regular crimes facilitated by electronic means of communications.
The field of cyber and electronic crime fighting is a fairly new one and is still in the evolutionary phase and for the same reason can be ranked as one of the most dynamic fields out there. Both open sourced as well as commercially packaged computer forensic tools are being developed at a very fast pace which further opens up opportunities for research work on computer forensic tools.
Most of the computer forensic experts you’ll see today have acquired their expertise by working in law enforcement agencies and the military. However, owing to the significance of this field of work and the prospects of a career in the field, many universities now offer computer forensic degrees. Though a lot of the computer forensic programs and techniques have been qualified to military use only, there are enough commercially available computer forensic tools to educate on students on IT systems and internet security as well as firewalls to avert cyber crime.
The industry of computer forensics values education and hence there are various certifications available on the subject. Some agencies have even made certain certifications mandatory for neophytes as well as computer forensic experts to make sure they’re acquainted with the latest more sophisticated computer forensic programs and tools. Acclaimed certifications in this regard providing hands on experience on the latest computer forensic tools include CISSP, CISM, CISA and CCSP certifications.
