Computer Forensics Certification

Computer forensics analyst are tasked with the job of investigating crime, and making sure there is enough evidence to convict criminals.

In the last 20 years we’ve seen an absolute explosion in technology. It’s everywhere, and it’s advancing all the time. The rise of technology and the Internet has brought a huge number of benefits for our leisure, our businesses, and our lives in general, but there is also a darker side to technology.  Sadly people like you and I aren’t the only ones taking advantage of technology. Criminals all over the world are using it for nefarious purposes.

Computer forensics analysts can be involved in lots of different types of cases, from the boringly mundane to the incredibly exciting. It can range from anything from theft of secret business information by company employees to terrorist activity, and anything in between.

When investigating a crime, the very first task a computer forensics analyst will perform is securing the computer evidence so that nothing can be altered or tampered with. They will then have to perform various technical analysis tasks in order to gather evidence.

In most cases the computer forensics analyst will have to recover data from media that has been deleted, damaged or encrypted. They will also often need to follow around electronic data on the Internet to discover and intercept communication between individuals who are engaged in illegal activity.

It’s incredibly important that the computer forensic analyst carefully documents the investigation, and part of their job is to prepare a detailed report that can be used in court. They may also have to testify in a court, and be cross-examined by an attorney.

Because of the rise in computer crime, job prospects for computer forensics analysts are generally very good. They are mostly employed by law enforcement organizations, both state and federal, although there are some jobs in private companies too. The average salary is around $45,000. Private companies tend to pay more, but jobs are harder to find and less secure. There is generally a high demand for computer forensic analysts and properly trained and experienced analysts are unlikely to be out of work for every long.

If you wish to work as a computer forensic analyst, you will need some experience in the computer industry. You might start off as a developer or hardware engineer and work your way up to a more specialized analyst role. You could also do internships in the industry to gain valuable experience. A college degree is desirable but not essential.

Working as a computer forensic analyst is a fast paced, exciting job. It can be stressful and demanding but it is also exceptionally rewarding if your brain is wired in the right way. If you are interested in both computers and law enforcement, there is no better career for you.

A forensic computer examiner will generally work for a law enforcement agency. This can be either the state police (usually working with other computer forensic specialists in some kind of centralized state crime lab) or for one of any number of federal security agencies including the FBI, CIA or NSA.

Their job involves the examination of computer data in the course of a crime investigation and evidence gathering process. The Forensic Computer Examiner will go through large amounts of computer data in order to find incriminating evidence, often recreating deleted files on a hard drive or performing other deep analysis techniques to recover hidden data that might become valuable in the course of the investigation.

Forensic Computer Examiner Requirements

A forensic computer examiner has to be an all round information technology expert, with equal skill in both computer software and computer hardware analysis techniques. They may have to make physical changes to storage media to gather the evidence that they need, as well as employing sophisticated software analysis.

Forensic computer examiners will also need to stay informed and knowledgeable about new technology and how it could be used to commit crimes. Criminals are always looking for new and innovative ways to make money through crime, and it’s vital that forensic computer examiners keep their knowledge sharp to remain one step ahead.

Computer Examiner Demand

Right now this career involves a skill that is in high demand. More criminals every day are using advanced technology to commit crimes. While most crimes that require the services of a forensic computer examiner are innately technological (such as internet child pornography and computer hacking) there are also many non-computer crimes that forensic examiners have helped to solve. In 2005 the infamous “BTK strangler” serial killer in Kansas was caught solely though the forensic analysis of a computer disk sent to police in the mail.

In addition to technical analysis, the examiner will often have to testify in court and defend the evidence against cross-examination by an attorney. The forensic computer examiner will also have to communicate complex technical evidence in simple language that anyone can understand.

Forensic Computer Examiner Salary

Salaries are good, and job stability is excellent when working in the public sector.   While earning a college degree in a related discipline would be an advantage, it’s not strictly necessary. If you do wish to earn a computer forensics degree, the best for majors are computer science and information technology.

Forensic Computer Examiner Certification

In most states, you have to gain certification (such as the Certified Computer Examiner credential) in order to work as a forensic computer examiner. Most certifications have fairly strict conditions, including the requirement that candidates have no criminal record. The examinations are also rigorous, and most certifications will require re-examination every few years due to the continually changing state of technology.

Because of the rise of technological crimes, and the usefulness of forensic computer evidence to courts, forensic computer examiner jobs are being created every day. It’s a fantastic field to get into if you are interested in computer hardware and software as well as criminology.

When the police discover a computer crime scene, a computer forensics investigator is called into action. These are the people who deal with evidence gathering and investigations in cyber-crime.  Their job is to analyze computer crime scenes to uncover any hidden evidence that might be found in digital storage devices such as hard disks, CD-ROMs and portable flash storage devices.

As the Internet has expanded, the remit of computer forensics investigators has also grown. As well as providing analysis of traditional storage media, computer forensics investigators will also be expected to gather evidence from the Internet. They may even be tasked with retriving data from network infrastructure. For the non-technical among us, that means they can look inside the very wires themselves and see what is being transmitted.

Computer Forensics Investigator Jobs

Job prospects for computer forensics investigators are very good at the moment. The rate of Internet and computer crime is rising all the time. Sadly criminals are just as fond of new technology as the rest of us. As soon as a new piece of computer hardware or software has been invented, you can be sure that an ingenious criminal is plotting how to use it to his or her advantage.

Computer Forensics Investigator Skills

That’s why computer forensics investigators need to keep abreast of all the latest technology. Their information technology skills and knowledge have to be on the cutting edge, as it would be catastrophic if they were presented with an unfamiliar computer system while in the middle of an investigation.

When conducting an investigation, the first step that a computer forensics investigator must take is preparation. They familiarize themselves with the technology being used in the suspected crime, making a note of operating systems and hardware. The technical procedures to be followed vary dramatically depending on the crime scene environment, so gathering this information is incredibly important.

When it comes down to the technical analysis, they need to make sure that volatile computer data such as information found in network cables and RAM memory is captured first. Crucial evidence could be lost or altered.  After that a careful acquisition of more permanent storage media such as hard drives and USB drives is performed.

The hardware will often be subjected to radical techniques that could be destructive if they go wrong.  Rather than risk destruction of important evidence, storage media will be duplicated before analysis.

Once the hardware has been examined and the evidence collected and analyzed, the final stage is to compile a report of all findings. This report could be used internally to brief other investigating staff working on the case, or it could be used in court as a piece of evidence in a criminal trial.

Working as a computer forensic investigator is an important and highly satisfying position. Computer based evidence is incredibly useful to courts, as it is almost indisputable. With the growing rate of cyber-crime, job prospects are excellent. If you’re interested in an exciting career using information technology skills, few are more thrilling than working as a computer forensic investigator.

The simplest way to describe a computer forensics specialist is a computer detective. Imagine Sherlock Holmes for the digital age. Computer forensics specialists help with police investigations by analyzing computer evidence. That includes the evidence that might be left behind on hard disk drives, portable storage devices, or other kinds of electronic media.

Computer forensics specialists treat computers like a crime scene, and computer files are their clues. They apply the same type of painstaking analysis to a hard drive as a crime scene investigator would to the scene of a crime. Computer forensics specialists don’t just look at the same computer files you and I can access. They use special techniques to look further and deeper than we ever could. They can often recover incriminating data that the criminal though had been destroyed forever years before. That is the level of technical forensic analysis that they are capable of.

Computer Forensics Specialist Skills

In addition to their formidable technical skill, computer forensics specialists need to be excellent communicators. One of the most important parts of their role is to create a report that details the nature of the evidence found through their analysis.  This report has to be complex enough to contain a true and accurate account of the evidence, and how it was gathered, but also simple enough for non-technical investigators and jurors in a criminal trial to understand fully.  Creating this kind of document is often described as one of the most challenging elements of the position.

Computer Forensics Specialists Requirements

While many computer forensic specialists have college degrees, in most jurisdictions it’s not a strict requirement. However, if you are thinking of becoming a computer forensic specialist, a college degree in a related field such as computer science or information technology will put you at a significant advantage.  High school graduation or equivalent is necessary, and you will also require an official certification (such as a Global Information Assurance Certification) in order to testify in court.

Computer Forensics Specialist Salary

Financial compensation for computer forensic specialists is fairly good, with an average hourly wage of around $23.  FBI computer forensics specialists tend to earn little more than state employees, but a higher level of competency and experience is required. Computer forensic specialists are typically employed by the public sector, but some very proficient computer forensics specialists perform work independently on a contractual basis to government agencies and occasionally private clients. They can earn much more, but are typically at the very top of their profession.

However, people rarely go into computer forensics for the money. Job satisfaction comes not from financial compensation, but from the excitement of gathering evidence and the joy of cracking a case.  There is also the satisfaction of doing good public service and helping catch criminals.

Computer Forensics Specialist Jobs

Job prospects for computer forensics specialists are very good. Like most public sector employees, job stability is excellent. Jobs for computer forensics specialists are also expected to grow 20 percent. If you were considering a career in information technology, computer forensics would be an excellent avenue to go down.