The History of Computer Forensics
Computer forensics is the study of extracting, analyzing and documenting evidence from a computer system or network. It is often used by law enforcement officials to seek out evidence for a criminal trial. Government officials and business professionals may also have need of a specialist familiar with computer forensic techniques. The discipline of computers forensics is relatively new, having been founded in the 1980s.
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The Early Years
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The field of computer forensics began in the 1980s, shortly after personal computers became a viable option for consumers. In 1984, an FBI program was created. Known for a time as the Magnetic Media Program, it is now known as the Computer Analysis and Response Team (CART). Shortly thereafter, the man who is credited with being "the father of computer forensics" began work in this field. His name was Michael Anderson, and he was a special agent with the criminal investigation division of the IRS. Anderson worked for the government in this capacity until the mid 1990s, after which he founded New Technologies, Inc., a leading computer forensics firm.
Early Training Programs
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A meeting held in 1988 in Oregon led to the formation of the IACIS (International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists). Shortly after that, the first classes were held to train SCERS (Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialists).
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IOCE
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The discipline continued to grow in the 1990s, with the first conference on collecting evidence from computers held in 1993. Two years later, the International Organization on Computer Evidence (IOCE) was established.
Late 1990s
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By 1997, it was widely recognized that law enforcement officials all over the world needed to be well-versed in how to acquire evidence from computers, a fact made evident in a 1997 G8 communique. INTERPOL held a symposium on computer forensics the following year, and in 1999, the FBI's CART program tackled 2,000 individual cases.
The First Decade of the 21st Century
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THE FBI's CART caseload continued to grow. Whereas in 1999, the team analyzed 17 terabytes of data, by 2003 the group examined 782 terabytes of data in just one year. With advances in computing and the proliferation of Internet access around the globe, the role of computer forensics began to play a more important role for law enforcement officials. With the advent of smartphones and PDAs, the ways in which computer forensics may operate have become even more important as criminals have a multitude of options for using computing devices to break the law.
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Steve Jurvetson
