Computer forensics

digital camera, two flash memory cards, a USB flash drive, a 5GB iPod, a CD-R or DVD recordable, and a Mini CD. Computer forensics (also known as computer forensic science) is a branch of digital forensic science pertaining to evidence found in computers and digital storage media. The goal of computer forensics is to examine digital media in a forensically sound manner with the aim of identifying, preserving, recovering, analyzing, and presenting facts and opinions about the digital information. Although it is most often associated with the investigation of a wide variety of computer crime, computer forensics may also be used in civil proceedings. The discipline involves similar techniques and principles to data recovery, but with additional guidelines and practices designed to create a legal audit trail. Evidence from computer forensics investigations is usually subjected to the same guidelines and practices as other digital evidence. It has been used in a number of high-profile cases and is accepted as reliable within U.S. and European court systems.

digital camera, two flash memory cards, a USB flash drive, a 5GB iPod, a CD-R or DVD recordable, and a Mini CD.]] Computer forensics (also known as computer forensic science) is a branch of digital forensic science pertaining to evidence found in computers and digital storage media. The goal of computer forensics is to examine digital media in a forensically sound manner with the aim of identifying, preserving, recovering, analyzing, and presenting facts and opinions about the digital information. Although it is most often associated with the investigation of a wide variety of computer crime, computer forensics may also be used in civil proceedings. The discipline involves similar techniques and principles to data recovery, but with additional guidelines and practices designed to create a legal audit trail. Evidence from computer forensics investigations is usually subjected to the same guidelines and practices as other digital evidence. It has been used in a number of high-profile cases and is accepted as reliable within U.S. and European court systems. ==Overview== In the early 1980s, personal computers became more accessible to consumers, leading to their increased use in criminal activity (for example, to help commit fraud). At the same time, several new "computer crimes" were recognized (such as cracking). The discipline of computer forensics emerged during this time as a method to recover and investigate digital evidence for use in court. Since then, computer crime and computer-related crime has grown, with the FBI reporting a suspected 791,790 internet crimes in 2020, a 69% increase over the amount reported in 2019. Today, computer forensics is used to investigate a wide variety of crimes, including child pornography, fraud, espionage, cyberstalking, murder, and rape. The discipline also features in civil proceedings as a form of information gathering (e.g., Electronic discovery). Forensic techniques and expert knowledge are used to explain the current state of a digital artifact, such as a computer system, storage medium (e.g., hard disk or CD-ROM), or an electronic document (e.g., an email message or JPEG image). The scope of a forensic analysis can vary from simple information retrieval to reconstructing a series of events. In a 2002 book, Computer Forensics, authors Kruse and Heiser define computer forensics as involving "the preservation, identification, extraction, documentation and interpretation of computer data". They describe the discipline as "more of an art than a science," indicating that forensic methodology is backed by flexibility and extensive domain knowledge. However, while several methods can be used to extract evidence from a given computer, the strategies used by law enforcement are fairly rigid and lack the flexibility found in the civilian world. ==Use as evidence== In court, computer forensic evidence is subject to the usual requirements for digital evidence. This requires that information be authentic, reliably obtained, and admissible. Different countries have specific guidelines and practices for evidence recovery. In the United Kingdom, examiners often follow Association of Chief Police Officers guidelines that help ensure the authenticity and integrity of evidence. While voluntary, the guidelines are widely accepted in British courts. Computer forensics has been used as evidence in criminal law since the mid-1980s. Some notable examples include: BTK Killer: Dennis Rader was convicted of a string of serial killings over sixteen years. Towards the end of this period, Rader sent letters to the police on a floppy disk. Metadata within the documents implicated an author named "Dennis" at "Christ Lutheran Church," helping lead to Rader's arrest. Joseph Edward Duncan: A spreadsheet recovered from Duncan's computer contained evidence showing him planning his crimes. Prosecutors used this to demonstrate premeditation and secure the death penalty. Sharon Lopatka: Hundreds of emails on Lopatka's computer led investigators to her killer, Robert Glass. Corcoran Group: In this case, computer forensics confirmed parties' duties to preserve digital evidence when litigation had commenced or was reasonably anticipated. Hard drives were analyzed, though the expert found no evidence of deletion, and evidence showed that the defendants intentionally destroyed emails. Dr. Conrad Murray: Dr. Conrad Murray, the doctor of Michael Jackson, was convicted partially by digital evidence, including medical documentation showing lethal amounts of propofol. Mark Twitchell, also known as the "Dexter Killer," Twitchell was convicted with the help of a deleted document recovered from his laptop titled "SKConfessions." This file, which detailed his criminal activities, served as a key piece of evidence in the case. ==See also== Certified Forensic Computer Examiner Counter forensics Cryptanalysis Cyber attribution Data remanence Disk encryption Encryption Hidden file and hidden directory Information technology audit MAC times Steganalysis United States v. Arnold ==Further reading== A Practice Guide to Computer Forensics, First Edition (Paperback) by David Benton (Author), Frank Grindstaff (Author) Incident Response and Computer Forensics, Second Edition (Paperback) by Chris Prosise (Author), Kevin Mandia (Author), Matt Pepe (Author) "Truth is stranger than fiction..." (more) ===Related journals=== IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law International Journal of Digital Crime and Forensics Journal of Digital Investigation International Journal of Digital Evidence International Journal of Forensic Computer Science Journal of Digital Forensic Practice Cryptologia Small Scale Digital Device Forensic Journal

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