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In the last twenty years, since the introduction
of the personal computer (PC), a great change has taken place in
the way we use computers. No longer are they an obscure rarity,
but are ubiquitous and the business without a computer is now an
exception. They are used to assist with most tasks in the
workplace. We communicate via email, chat, even voice and video
communication use computers. We maintain financial records,
schedule appointments, and store significant amounts of business
records all electronically.
It should come as no surprise that with this
newfound productivity comes a class of individuals who exploit
these benefits to commit crimes and civil wrongs. Almost any type
of investigation and litigation today may rely on evidence
obtained from computer systems. Digital evidence can often make or
break a case.
This evidence may be used to establish that a
crime has been committed or assert other points of fact in a court
of law, such as, identify suspects, defend the innocent, prosecute
the guilty, and understand motives and intents of individuals.
Computer forensics is the science whereby;
experts extract data from computer media in such a way that it may
be used in a court of law. This evidence may include such things
as deleted emails or files, computer logs, spreadsheets and
accounting information, etc.
It is not sufficient to merely have the technical
skills to locate evidence on computer media. Computer forensics
experts recover the evidence and maintain a strict chain of
custody to ensure that the evidence is preserved in its original
form. The knowledge of these experts on what to look for and where
to look is also important. At Digital Evidence, Inc., our forensic
personnel are certified forensic examiners with years of
experience in computer evidence acquisition and processing. |
