| Introduction | | | | collecting evidence after a cyber crime has been |
| Mention crime and we think of robberies, murders and | | | | committed is not a cakewalk. Lot of care needs to be |
| detectives examining the crime scene, interrogating | | | | taken while collecting the evidence and processing |
| witnesses and finally nailing the guilty. | | | | them, as the loss of even an electron of information |
| But there is, however, another kind of crime, where | | | | could mean that the data would not stand up to legal |
| traditional methods of criminal investigation fall flat on its | | | | scrutiny. Of course, the job of forensic experts is very |
| face. Instances like hacking, cyber fraud, phishing, | | | | difficult, but they are assisted by some tools which help |
| identity and data theft, all account as cyber crime. | | | | in processing the data quickly. The cyber forensic tools |
| Cyber crime can be defined as an illegal electronic | | | | are software packages that can be used to preserve |
| operation that target the security of computer | | | | the state of storage devices or extract data from |
| systems and data processed by them. Even though it | | | | them. These softwares fall in 3 categories: |
| may appear that the effects of cyber crime are not | | | | 1. Open source software |
| life threatening, they have the potential to disrupt life. A | | | | 2. Proprietary software |
| survey in UK inferred that people were more scared | | | | 3. Tailor-made software for specific needs, designed |
| of their bank accounts being hacked or credit card | | | | by companies. |
| details stolen over the internet, than they were of | | | | Courses and Career Path |
| robberies. There have been numerous cases, wherein | | | | The field of cyber forensics is still evolving and there is |
| people have been vulnerable to cyber crime in one | | | | a lot of confusion on the part of students who are |
| way or the other. Crime can never be eradicated, but | | | | interested in pursuing this as a career option. To be |
| it can be prevented with the help of effective security | | | | good in this field, one needs to master various |
| to information. Whenever cyber crimes are committed, | | | | disciplines.Not only should they be experts in examining |
| cyber forensic experts enter the scene and try to sniff | | | | an evidence, they should also know the legal |
| out the clues and help in catching the culprits. | | | | procedures of presenting the evidence in the court. For |
| Skills and Tools | | | | example, a cyber forensic expert would work on |
| A cyber forensic expert is supposed to be adept in | | | | computer networks as well as network security. This |
| network security because most cyber crimes take | | | | means that network security certifications from |
| place over networks. They should be competent in | | | | renowned institutes/companies are essential for the |
| data recovery and encryption, because data and | | | | candidate, to provide a good starting point. |
| passwords are the targets of information theft. The | | | | A career in cyber forensics can be sought both in |
| experts should also be aware of cyber laws as most | | | | public and private sector. In the public sector, people |
| of the cases can got to court, where the forensic | | | | are mostly absorbed into law enforcement agencies, |
| expert would be calles either as a witness or an | | | | state forensic departments and central agencies. In |
| examiner. A cyber forensics expert need not | | | | private sector, the scope for cyber forensic experts is |
| necessarily have to deal with computers all the time. | | | | immense as many experts would be required to |
| Depending on the nature of cases and crime | | | | detect and solve the increasing cyber crimes. Also, |
| committed, the experts have to work on mobile | | | | after sufficient experience, professionals can divert into |
| phones, PDA's, USB drives, media players, etc. | | | | freelancing and become independent security |
| When it comes to corporate houses, they don't really | | | | consultants. |
| tend to trust the cops. They guard their systems and | | | | Thus the job of a cyber forensic expert is a mixture |
| data by hiring the services of experts in information | | | | of a cop and a geek, which is challenging and |
| securities, such as Agape Inc. Also the process of | | | | interesting, for committed professionals. |