Cyber forensics can be defined as the process of extracting information and data from computer storage media and guaranteeing its accuracy and reliability. The challenge of course is actually finding this data, collecting it, preserving it, and presenting it in a manner acceptable in a court of law.
Status In India
According to Praveen Dalal*, the Leading Techno-Legal ICT, Cyber Law, Cyber Security and Cyber Forensics Specialist of India, “Computer Forensics or Cyber Forensics in India has started gaining importance out of the necessity to deal with modern cyber crimes. Though India has taken some steps in the direction of enacting Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related law in the form of Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act, 2000), yet by and large it failed to provide a sound and secure law in this crucial direction. The result is too obvious. India has to depend upon foreign experts and institutions/universities even for the task of tracing an offender sending an offensive e-mail”.
Why society needs Cyber Forensics pros
Cyber Forensics is a new and developing field, which can be described as the study of digital evidence resulting from an incidence of crime. The science involves the investigation and a computer to determine the potential of legal evidence. It helps create preventive intelligence and threat monitoring besides post incident investigations.
Live v. Dead Forensics
Cyber Forensics may be live or dead. Traditionally, Cyber Forensics was performed after pulling the plug and then subsequently imaging the media under investigation. The contemporary practice is to perform live analysis to get useful volatile data that is lost the moment a computer is turned off or after the pulling of the plug.
Careers in Cyber Forensics
For those of you, excited by the prospect of investigating cyber crime, tracking criminals, hackers and the like, Cyber Forensics would be the right choice. However, the knowledge areas to be mastered by a trained professional include computer security, crime prevention techniques and understanding the emerging trends in technology abuse in virtual space. This article guides you on the intriguing domain of Cyber Forensics and career options on offer.
Opportunities in Cyber Forensics
A Cyber Forensics professional is required to gather electronic evidence of misuse of computer networks and provide evidence in a court of law to bring the culprits to justice. A Cyber Forensics pro is sought by both public as well as private sector. In the public sector, people are mostly absorbed in law enforcement agencies like cyber crime cells, state forensics departments and central agencies like the CBI. In the private sector, it's the information that is of paramount importance for the enterprises, and so they require professionals to safeguard their data from being stolen and misused and also preserve them from hackers. Additionally, there are specialist companies that work on ethical hacking, Cyber Forensics and IT security. A budding Cyber Forensics expert can start his career as a cyber analyst or engineer for an enterprise after gaining experience and domain knowledge can proceed to niche areas in Cyber Forensics. Also, professionals can divert to freelancing and become independent security consultants.
