Your Digital Safety - The Workings of Digital Forensics

What is Digital Forensics?

Digital forensics is an investigative art that allows skilled technicians to get crucial information about a crime from a computer. When a computer has been used for criminal behavior -- or when it has been attacked in a criminal manner -- traces of data are left behind that can help lead investigators to the source of the problem. Of course, criminals do their best to cover their tracks even in the digital world; identifying a perpetrator means uncovering some personally identifiable information on a target computer. This can require a forensic specialist to decode complex files and restore lost data.

How Do Digital Forensics Professionals Work?

Digital forensics is built upon the investigator's keen ability to seek out patterns within the data on a computerized device. This often requires them to interact with both the hardware and the software side of any given machine. Generally speaking, criminals make an effort to destroy incriminating data - but simplistic methods are rarely enough to confound a digital forensics professional. Scouring the contents of a hard drive using sophisticated software tools may yield valuable information. Physically examining the interior "plates" of a hard drive can allow damaged data to be restored. For more information on how digital forensics works, visit Dell here.

Who Employs Digital Forensics Professionals?

Digital forensics professionals are employed by law enforcement agencies all around the world. However, joining an investigative agency is not the only way to practice in digital forensics. Private companies also employ data forensics professionals to protect their data from outside intrusion. Rather than handle criminal cases, these technical experts will monitor an organization's network to maintain awareness of data theft attempts as they happen. They work to root out the "back doors" that hackers create, stopping them from building larger intrusions upon smaller ones.

How does it relate to Your Windows 7 Upgrade?

If you are thinking about upgrading Windows 7 to the new Windows 8, digital forensics might be valuable to you. When preparing a computer for a new operating system, it is a good idea to ensure that everything possible has been done to make the software run correctly. Although you may not need formal digital forensics for this task, you can improve your computing environment by thinking like an investigator. Look for ways to eliminate unneeded programs and files, for example. Try to discover more efficient ways to organize the data you need and hunt down issues that drain performance.

What is the Outlook for Digital Forensics as a Field?

Digital forensics is an exciting new field with a lot of growth potential. Those with a strong background in digital forensics can become general digital security experts who command six figure salaries. Excellent digital forensic technicians will consistently be in demand among agencies like the FBI and Homeland Security. Fortune 500 companies also hire digital forensics experts. That said, it is important to note that the number of digital forensics job openings is not huge; skill and education are important factors in determining who is best suited for a limited number of attractive job offers.

What's Next?

Millions of Americans routinely carry a cellular phone and many of these cell phone owners use smartphone technology. Because of the vast differences between wireless and wired devices, wireless equipment is much more likely to be targeted in criminal activity. Digital forensics will increasingly focus on and discover the ways in which law enforcement figures can determine the source of unlawful wireless device use. As computer technology continues to become more personalized and sophisticated at a rapid clip, the discipline of digital forensics will continue to evolve.

Author Bio

Brian Jensen works with Dell. In his spare time he enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with his family. He has a passion for learning and writing about all things technology. He is currently researching Cloud Computing and recommends following this link for more information.