Computer Forensics Job Description

When individuals use computers to embezzle money, steal people's identities, hack into others bank accounts and commit fraud, it is the job of computer forensic specialists to investigate. Jobs in computer forensics use a variety of techniques to uncover criminal activities.

  1. Significance

    • People in the computer forensic field obtain electronic data that can be used in criminal or civil court cases. The job for computer forensic specialists is to discover and replicate information found on computers. These files have been deleted, renamed and extremely buried in the computer's memory. Individuals in this field can search different media products like computer hard drives, CD-ROM disks, floppy disks or cell phones to find the hidden files.

    Tools

    • Computer forensic specialists use different tools to extract, locate and analyze data. For example, imaging software is a tool that creates an exact copy of deleted data from computers like Zip drives, hard drives, stick drives or floppy drives. The assignment can require computer forensic specialists to recover deleted or changed passwords and emails. In addition, they can decode encrypted or erased files.

    Function

    • If an employee has been using a company computer for illegal activities and then deleting information to cover his tracks, a business may hire an computer forensics specialist to investigate. The task must be handled confidentially.

    Considerations

    • Individuals interested in computer forensics need attention to detail, problem-solving skills, precision, objectivity and excellent communication and written skills. This career also requires analytical skills and extensive knowledge of the legal procedures. To enter the job, individuals must have a four-year degree in accounting or computer science. An accounting background can help while investigating financial crimes.

    Employment Opportunities

    • Computer forensic jobs are available in prosecutors' offices, governmental agencies, police departments, consulting firms, hospitals and law firms. Some specialists are self-employed or work as consultants and can analyze clues or testify as expert witnesses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says computer forensic specialists earn about $47,700 a year.

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References

  • Photo Credit "IT WORKS!!!!" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: whiskymac (Reg Mckenna) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.

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