Forensic Computer Services

In this high paced, high tech world one of the things that we can depend on is that the crooks are usually one step ahead of the cops. This doesn’t mean that the cops are less clever than the crooks; it just means that there are fewer of them, with fewer resources and with loads more red tape. One area that criminals have taken serious advantage of is computer driven crime. A little technical know-how, a little computer savvy and it seems that just about anyone is an insider trader waiting in the wings.

We’ve all seen on TV how police forces and agencies have caught on and how they all have computer specialists who can crack computer codes, catch hackers and piece together broken computers and retrieve data from the tiny bits. Mostly we get this from CSI. Realty is probably a little different. In cases where computers are involved, experts from outside companies are usually called in to offer their services. They may be called in to secure proof or to repair or protect altered or damaged data. Their job is extremely important and may have a direct bearing on the outcome of a case; it depends on the reliability of the data retrieved, which often depends on the skill of the technician as well as on the original level of data corruption.

Computers used in unlawful activities often hold all the proof needed to convict suspects, even if they have deleted the evidence, formatted the computer or deliberately tried to damage it. Proof gained from computers has been used successfully in trade cases, secret theft, industrial espionage, divorce, and fraud, discrimination, narcotics, and smuggling and corruption cases. Experts are able to examine the computers and see whether or not data has been erased or damaged. They are then able to look for specific data, phrases, file, numbers and keywords. Once the data has been accessed they are able to determine if it has been used unlawfully used and can authenticate any breach of the software license.

This is all very interesting and I am sure we all very pleased that criminals who think that they are so smart, aren’t and get their comeuppance and all. Even though it is a somewhat scary thought knowing that you can’t completely hide everything that you do and that someone might always be able to find out. Its very George Orwell – 1984 -ish. In other words, not very comforting.

An important question, however remains: What happens if, just for arguments sake and this is rather extreme but run with it, what would happen if a movie scenario did come true? Lets use a James Bond scenario, anyone, they all use computers, just about. What if the world found itself held to ransom by a lunatic with very powerful computers and the ability and will to use them to create havoc and do much damage to most of the developed world? What would our forensic experts be able to do then? Would they be able to do anything? Would we have to turn to all the hackers that our forensic experts have put in jail, as so often happens in the movies? Are we ready for an uber criminal? Is one brewing? Have I once again been watching too many action movies?

Think what Al Capone could have done with the technology of computers. He would probably still have been caught for tax evasion but the scale could have been so much grander. He could have had his finger in about 3 dozen more pies than he did at the time. The man could have been epic. He could have been almost mythic in stature. He’s the kind of man who would have held the world to ransom. He’s the kind of man who would probably have got away with it. Elliot Ness would have needed a bigger gang of untouchables. They would have had to keep Sean Connery alive throughout the movie; goodness knows he was the brains behind the whole operation.

While more and more people are turning to computers to commit crime, experts are coming up with more and more refined ways of catching them. Not even damaging the computer or the hard drive is enough to destroy evidence; experts can piece together data from deliberately damaged computers just as easily as they can from accidentally deleted files. The point here is forensic computer services is a growing and evolving field, think twice before you decide that no one will miss that 20 grand.

About the Author

Sandra wrote this article for the online marketers Data Detect Australia data recovery Sydney one of the leading data recovery specialists in Australia

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