Computer forensics experts can recover data from a physical hard drive even if it has been formatted.
Computers are an important part of everyday life for most people. In fact, the number of households that own a personal computer has grown exponentially in the last five to ten years. Consequently, cybercrimes, specifically identity theft and other computer-generated financial crimes, have increased in number and have become an increasingly serious problem.
Many municipal police departments have a computer forensics team. However, in the coming years they will become even more widespread. Computer forensics uses special techniques and skills to retrieve, authenticate, and analyze electronic data and information. It is especially useful for police officers and investigators trying to solve a crime involving a computer.
Computer forensics experts can sometimes recover information that should have been destroyed or deleted.
An expert in the field of computer forensics usually has extensive working knowledge and specific software that works on the devices that store data. This may include hard drives and other computing media. The computer forensics specialist can determine the sources of digital evidence, such as emails and other documentation. He also knows how to preserve digital evidence, analyze it, and present the findings to investigators and, if necessary, to a court of law.
Computer forensics can be used to detect the presence of a computer virus.
Cybercriminals are becoming more complex and intelligent in the crimes they commit. Many of the most complicated crimes that cybercriminals commit are successful because the criminals have installed countermeasures on their computers. These countermeasures work to evade a computer forensic investigation. They can be computer viruses, electromagnetic damage or other computer traps. In fact, if a computer forensics expert is not careful, countermeasures can destroy the entire evidence and render it unrecoverable.
A computer forensic investigation typically begins when a search warrant is issued to seize a suspect’s computer and other digital media. The data on the suspect’s computer is copied and then this data is analyzed using the investigator’s technical equipment and software. The suspect’s computer becomes evidence. Consequently, it must remain in a chain of evidence to keep it intact.
Some researchers specialize in cracking passwords. They are also aware of the importance of not shutting down a running computer. If they have to shut down the machine, they copy all the data from the hard drive. Sometimes the data is not even visible to the naked eye. It is possible that there is no visible file. These hidden files are jewels for a computer forensics team.
Email or email is one of the main methods of communication for most people. Some investigators specialize in preserving, retrieving, and analyzing email archives. They can be stored on the hard drive, on an external network, or on a removable hard drive, to name just a few. Sophisticated software allows investigators to search through thousands of emails, including those that the suspect has deleted from their system.