Why Is Computer Forensics Important

Computer technology progressed rapidly since the 1900’s. Computers are no longer scarcely around, many people have them and use them on a daily basis. They have also become an important source of evidence in criminal activities. Computers are very helpful for homicide investigators, because they can discover whether methods on how to murder were researched on the internet, if anything suspicious can be found in emails, or if threats were made towards the victim prior to the murder. Since children can easily get on the computer to use the internet, it gives sexual predators an opportunity to seek out child victims online. Computer forensics is the preservation, acquisition, extraction, analysis, and interpretation of computer data. The ultimate goal of computer forensics is to identify, collect, preserve, and analyze the data that has been collected to use in a legal case. A lot of devices are capable of storing …show more content…
The most important rule in computer forensics is minimal handling of the original. This is when you can make a copy of the evidence you’ve discovered but is has to be an exact duplicate and must also authenticate the copy that has been made. If not, questions can arise. Account for any change is when changes to the evidence may be ruined when you have to shut down or turn the computer on to boot it up. The changes may be to the memory or temporary files. If any changes do occur, they must all be documented. Comply with the rules of evidence. These are the rules investigators must follow when examining and or handling evidence. They follow these rules to make sure that the evidence they do seize is accepted by the court of law. The last is do not exceed your knowledge. This is when you don’t continue an investigation if it is above your skill level and