Essay On Computer Forensics

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One of the most important aspects of studying a history of a place is why that place came into existence in the first place. The FBI's Regional Computer Forensics Laboratories are perhaps not a terribly well-known entity within the general public, yet they play an essential part in both our justice system, and our everyday lives. So this begs the question, why would a laboratory centered strictly around computers, even more specifically the forensics around computers, come to be in an age where certainly all major government establishments have, and are familiar with, computers and the technology associated within them. These are a few of the questions that will be answered throughout this research paper, along with an analysis of where they are today, and where it appears the future of these labs will take them. Computer Forensics is defined as “the application of computer investigation and analysis techniques in the interest of determining potential legal evidence” [Nelson, Bill, Phillips, Amelia, Enfinger, Frand, and Stewart, Chris (2004)] and has been prevalent in the law enforcement fields and government agencies since the mid-1980s. [Daphyne Saunders Thomas, Karen A. Forcht(2004)] Yet still, the existence does not justify the cause for the creation, development, and the integration of computer forensics into daily life. An online article from Penn State University goes into the history in more detail. The first actual legislation involving computer crime took place in the Counterfeit Access Device and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in 1984. Among other things, this enforcement made it officially a misdemeanor to obtain financial or credit information through a computer. Because of this laws nature (being a federal legislati... ... middle of paper ... ...anything the outcome of reading all of this history and information would be hope. Hope that it can be possible for the government Regional Computer Forensic Laboratories to create a well-structured, well-defined process that helps us to eliminate threats to every citizen. Through various technologies that are available, and through the rigorous pursuit of truth in a court of law, the labs and examiners can move towards a goal of someday truly embodying what it means to be a computer forensic scientist. It will become apparent that there will be a set number of steps that will recover data in a scientific manner that will be not only barely admissible in court, but it will be smiled upon, it will become an area where people can really come together for the good to create a beautiful solution to some of the hardest problems that can be contrived in a modern setting.

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