Computer Forensics :: Technology, Science, Computer Applications

Computer forensics is the specialized practice of investigating electronic computer media for the resolve of discovering and analyzing available, deleted, or "hidden" information that whitethorn serve as useful evidence in a licit matter. (Steen, Hassell 2004)Computer forensics has become a precise important factor of criminal investigations. Since computers have become mainstream the need for a science that will deal with the technology has become an issue for the judicial and legal system. Some of the areas computer forensics may be utilized are     Copyright infringement     Industrial espionage     Money laundering     Piracy     Sexual harassment      stealing of intellectual property     Unauthorized access to confidential information     Blackmail     Corruption      DecryptionWhen the investigator finds a computer that may hold evidence, they basic create an exact image of the drive. This prevents any inadvertent damage to the system. The clone image is important because more than 160 alterations are made to data files when a computer is turned on which can change or delete important evidence.Several events take place on a computer when a file is changed. A file status maker is set meaning their space is now available. But even though you have deleted the file, it stays in the selfsame(prenominal) spot and is called free or unallocated space and is available until the whole space is written over by another file. The computer forensic specialist may retrieve the data until it is written over by the new file. Another place for information to hide is called slack space, meaning, sometimes information being stored in an area will not use all of the available space in the designated spot and the unused portion becomes the slack space.