Computer Forensics
Recently the consultants at CBI have been receiving an
increasing number of requests for computer forensics work.
Simply stated, computer forensics is the art of taking
information off of a computer drive or storage device,
searching it, and reporting on what was found. Examples
of data sources are disk drives, USB drives, CDs, floppies,
etc. Any storage device – including cell phones and PDAs,
though they are a bit more difficult – can be searched/copied
and analyzed.
We currently have 2 staff members who are among only 3,000 worldwide
with the EnCase® Certified Examiner (EnCE)® designation.
This industry standard designation for investigative
prodessionals is the gold standard for Forensic education.
The biggest user of computer forensics is the law enforcement
community. From financial crimes to child pornography, the
government will confiscate a computer, make a forensically
sound copy, and then search through the copy to find evidence
or confirm tips regarding a crime. Other users include family
law practitioners, who use forensics in divorce, child custody,
probate and asset tracking cases. In corporate America, some
companies will automatically take a forensically sound copy
of the hard drive of departing employees. The drive will sit
on the shelf unless there is an employment law suit or discrepancy.
There is no real manual for performing computer forensic work, but
there are practices that have been put into place by software vendors,
the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies.
No ordinary consultant is going to be able to perform computer forensic
work. A person must have an ability to see needles in haystacks,
to plow through mountains of data and to make sense of it.
The person also needs to have an outstanding technical background,
and then be able to testify or report on the resultant findings in
a high-pressure situation. At CBI, our forensic consultants are
highly competent technology experts with many years of experience
with computers, networks and the nitty-gritty minutia related to
computers. They know how hard drives really work, how they are laid
out, where data can be hidden and how to access password protected
information. Most importantly, our forensic consultants work with
the requestor to find out as much as possible about the type of data
that is being searched for (e.g., Social Security Numbers, names of
various individuals, bank account numbers, etc.). Being an excellent
detective in the forensics field will yield good results, and our
consultants are excellent detectives.