A detailed guide on digital forensics?

The whole world has gone digital now. There is a corresponding rise in digital crime along with the rise in the use of computers and smartphones that means a complete new method of forensics. In many cases where physical evidence is available, it is not difficult to collect traces and present findings that can be used by defense. But, in case of digital or cyber crimes, the evidence is all digital and that has led to the increase in computer forensic investigations, thus indispensable in cases of intellectual property theft, pornography, online frauds and computer misuse.

Computer crimes revolve around the digital data and computer systems and smartphones are taken as digital evidence in such cases. The actual data counts either as evidence for prosecution or defense, can have been deleted. Accessing such important data is very difficult but the ways employed to uncover such lost or deleted data can not be accepted as evidence by a court of law. In such situations, you need to hire a professional Digital Forensic investigator.

 

Why go for a digital forensic expert?

·      The need for a digital forensic expert becomes more vital when you consider the fact that only data that matters is in electronic form and that it may not be limited to one computer system or mobile device. In addition to this, data can have been stored in the cloud or in other servers or just deleted. A professional digital forensic expert has a difficult job. The person must look for data without knowing what it is. He or she may uncover gigabytes of other vital information that has no relevance to the case along with some useful information. He will resurrect or reconstruct data and extract. The meaningful part only. It is called a specialized method and use of a well equipped lab and knowledge.

·       What a key consideration is knowledge of extraction of meaningful data but what is more vital is that the forensic expert  must have complete knowledge of law as well as must be able to extract and present evidence in such a way that is acceptable in court. Digital crime is not limited to one geographic location today and is not also restricted to using only one device to store data. Data can be used as evidence that can be spread across different devices and can be preserved, accessible easily or can be deleted or encrypted. The expert needs to follow the trail and use his or her expertise and experience to come up with valid evidence that withstands legal scrutiny. 

In most of the cases, Digital Forensic processes are used to uncover evidence against digital crimes. But, there are instances where employees or companies or an individual can be wrongly accused of a cyber crime he or she did not commit, the only way for that person to prove his or her innocence is to hire a professional digital forensic expert.