What Is Evidence in Computer Forensics
This is the age of information technology. Whether you are in law enforcement, prosecution, the defense team, or an individual suspected or charged with a crime, computer forensics might affect you. Computer forensics is a science dedicated to collecting potential evidence from computers and other digital media, including portable hard drives, USB drives, emails, and even MP3 players.
Anything with digital data can be used for or against you in a court case. Computer forensics is key to different types of evidence, and computer forensic specialists are key to recovering and examining computer forensic evidence connecting the computer or digital media to a crime. The list of evidence includes:
• Stolen computers and other digital media are themselves physical evidence that may need to be confiscated. In addition, the software on the computer might be stolen as well.
• If the computer or other electronic equipment was used in committing a crime, it can also be used as evidence. Criminal activities utilizing computers and computer equipment include the production of counterfeit identification, documents, and other illegal materials.
• Files, emails, and other items stored in the computer or digital media might also be taken as evidence. In fact, even Instant Messages, commonplace in today’s communications, could have been used in plotting a crime.
• Was the computer used in the crime? For example, the computer may be used to hack into the mainframe of another computer or even worse to a credit card company. If the computer was used in this manner and is still holding information it is the biggest give away possible to a computer forensic team.
• The computer itself might have been used to commit a crime. This includes computers used to hack through the security of other computers or networks, credit card theft, or even as the source of a computer virus.
In today’s high-tech world, computers and other digital media are commonplace in both our personal and work lives. They are used to store data and as a convenient means of communications. Therefore, when a crime is committed, anticipate the role of a computer forensic team to investigate, recover, and examine the digital evidence.