![]() Many retain vast quantities of information-either intentionally, in the form of log files and archives, or inadvertently, as a result of software that does not cleanly erase memory and files. In these instances, investigators are often hampered by the technical sophistication of the systems and the massive amount of evidence to analyze.ĭigital forensics is powerful because computer systems are windows into the past. The second class of digital forensics cases are those in which the crime was inherently one involving computer systems, such as hacking. Corporate litigation is also dominated by electronic discovery of incriminating material. Suspects in murder cases routinely have their laptops and cell phones examined for corroborating evidence. Today personal computers are so ubiquitous that the collection and use of digital evidence has become a common part of many criminal and civil investigations. The age of the computer helped perpetuate his crime, because few people on Wall Street have experience with 25-year-old technology, and it created an added complication after Madoff was arrested, because investigators had few tools with which to make sense of his data. For example, financial scam artist Bernard Madoff kept track of his victims’ accounts by using an IBM AS/400 minicomputer from the 1980s. The computer was all but incidental-except that computerization has made the evidence harder for investigators to analyze than paper records. ![]() ![]() ![]() First, in many cases computers contain evidence of a crime that took place in the physical world. Just as a traditional forensic investigator must be prepared to analyze any kind of smear or fragment, no matter the source, a digital investigator must be able to make sense of any data that might be found on any device anywhere on the planet-a very difficult proposition.įrom its inception, digital forensics has served two different purposes, each with its own difficulties. Information on a computer system can be changed without a trace, the scale of data that must be analyzed is vast, and the variety of data types is enormous. Compared with traditional forensic science, digital forensics poses significant challenges. ![]()
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