It’s not easy to become a forensic investigator. Most people have no clue what computer forensic courses are all about and believe that it is a piece of cake to obtain a certification. However, this is quite a new field of activity for most of the people out there. The main reason why most people (and I’m talking about masses here) have no clue about how to become a computer forensic investigator, is because such courses are not publicly exposed just like other careers such as policemen, nurses, teachers, etc. However, we cannot say that people are not aware of what forensics is after all, they do; but they have no clue about the branches that this type of investigation is built on and sure thing – they have no information about the type of branches that a computer forensic course has. Besides the fact that I am working as an investigator in forensics for more than ten year, I’ve done a lot of different work except my professional activity, and mainly helping other people succeed in this type of career. While I mainly talk about different ways to become a forensic investigator on this blog, now I’ll describe the computer related branch.
While the use of technology is getting more popular, many careers out there have started to include a computer related branch or domain for preparing specialists that are tech savvier than most of the people and can easily help others to obtain access to various levels of information or to locate a folder, file or document in a certain encrypted archive. We live in the information era, the 21st century, and it is pretty obvious that without using the opportunities offered by most available computer technologies we are going to remain in the past with all kinds of investigation. A well known fact is that governments of most countries invest plenty of resources in those agencies that are running all kinds of serious crime investigation. The correct protection of the population is what really matters and this is why so careful attention is paid to this kind of specialists. Today it’s becoming harder and harder to investigate crimes directly at the scene without the use of computers for collecting data, gathering evidence and archiving them digitally and sending the information instantly to the main headquarters. No matter what kind of digital devices are used, computer forensic investigators are the one held responsible for their use.
Anyone studying computer forensics and willing to become a reputable, highly valuable and well paid investigator must determine on his future career expectation. If you are just at the beginning of this road you can join us in studying more about this type of degree that basically anyone that has enough determination to move till the end can achieve. This article represents a small guide designed for people interested to find out more about computer forensic investigators, their methods of work, their general activity and of course, their mainstream connection with the electronic or digital devices and computers in general. First of all, when a crime is committed and the investigator is on the spot, there are several custody forms that have to be completed first and only after that the evidence can be collected and attributed to each of them. When working with evidence, besides being aware of not leaving any finger prints, it is also a must for you to attentively write down the exact name of the item, the measurement type used to determine the dimensions, the model and a certain serial number. Doing this correctly will make the insertion of the same type of information in your computer much easier. In this way, a forensic investigator makes sure that there will be no confusion between various items and other devices.
Mixing up evidence at the exact place of crime is considered to be a serious damage to the whole investigation process of the murder, the accident or whatever accident was committed. Nowadays, people that would like to become forensic investigator, besides realizing that they are going to be required to have a lot of work with computer and digital devices, need to realize that it is not that easy to actually lead such a way of life and always deal with investigating and collecting information, evidence from dead bodies, murderers, crime scenes, etc. A special attitude is also required which has a direct connection with being a little bit more attentive at details. For example, when a computer forensic investigator completes a chain of custody forms, there are several answers that he needs be to able to answer to.
1) What is the item/object/device that you collected? (It’s type, nature)
2) When did you find it? (Indicating the exact time is very important here)
3) Who else saw you besides you or who put it there? (Mention any close witnesses)
4) Where did you find it (The exact location using geographical coordinators)
5) Why did it look or act like this? (Mention any damage or strange look)
6) How did it happen? (Now you have to try and approximately remake the murder scenario)
While it might not be that easy to answer to all these questions from the first time, you will certainly need to complete these forms when you introduce this particular murder or crime data in your computer. This type of information is archived and used afterward when any other leads to investigate this crime and unveil the truth are discovered. The main idea about becoming a compute forensic investigator is being a little bit more attentive to what happens around you then ordinary people. Try to remember Sherlock Holmes! However, they had no computers back them and instead of uploading the information to various digital devices they had to write it all in notebooks, small investigation journals and on paper. It wasn’t easy. Nowadays, however, everything gets more and more interesting and the forensic investigator has to be able to follow a strict code of conduct when working with gathering data from his persona computer. Restarting the device during the actual process of collecting the information can be quite frustrating since you’ll be required to start everything from the beginning. Try to miss that button. Also, there are various crimes of various scenarios when even very important people can be involved. That’s why, you, as the protector of low and of citizens and honest people, need to carefully protect all the collected evidence and to make sure it is not mixed up or damaged with or by something else on the way to your office or lab.
Computer forensic investigators have a hard job to accomplish on a daily basis. However, the measurements of security and protection in direct relation with the evidence have to be continuously increased. When becoming an investigator, it’s your duty to improve the security of the evidence or any other material or informational data. These are the basics that beginners should know when seeking ways to become a computer forensic investigator.
