What is Computer Forensic Laboratory

The computer forensic laboratory houses the equipment and suspect media in secure environment for-day-to-day oprations. There are a number of necessary components to condiser when designing your lab. There procedures vary depending on your organizational needs.Small companies that handle the occasional civil case may not need more than an office behind a locked door and in expensive, fireproof safe. A corporation that has tens of thousand of employees may have a substantial case load containing several dozen investigations each week. The differences here are obvious and include time, money, and resources necessary to sustain operations. You must design the right lab for your needs. Guidance software has an excellent introduction to designing and building your lab, in which lee Youngflesh apply discusses how start by defining your lab goals and objectives before you ever or under engineer your lab and supporting resources.

Computer Fundamental

Before you can effectively complete investgation on any operataing system, you must understand how a hard drives stories information and how the 0s uses that har drives.In addition, more exotic technologies such as flash memory and PDA RAM have their own sets of pratfalls-if you don't understand the fundamental concepts discussed in this my blog, you will not be able to complete a defensible investigation.
In addition, if  you are called upon to perform a deposition or testify on the witness stand, this chapter will help serve as crip sheet for testimany. floopy disks use a different file system than hard drives in theold DOS  scheme. With all the point- ant- clik forensics tool available today, it is tempting to forgo learning details like this. However, this is a perfect example of how a complete undestanding of the basics can protect you while under fire on the witness stand.

The Bottom- UP View Of a Computer

As my " Intoduction to computing sciense " professor once said, the essence of modem computing is abstracting compexity. The modem Computer is much like the human body. Different modules each perform simple tasks; put them together in the right way, and amazingly complex tasks can be completed. A heart pumps blood. The lungs move air around. Eyes process light to create images. These are very basics task that work simultaneously to sustain life. Computers  work similiar way. A processor performs operations. A hard disk stories is and 0s. A video card converts those is and 0s to a signal a monitor can understand. Put them together and you the computer and all the possibilities that go along with it. 

The Role of The Investigator

What makes a good computer forensics investigator? information for you, the ability to be creative in the discovery of evidances, to be rigorous in the application of a disciplined process, and to understand the legal issues that are involved every step of the way. However, other factors play into the equation, depending on the investigation's context. Stories of investigators who ruined or destroyed a case because of incompetence or arrogance are all too familiar. You must have a complete understanding of the risk you are taking on when accepting a case.

• Investigator Bias  

The Investigator must play the role of an unbiased third party. Think of it in terms of traditional forensic sciences. For example, if the scientist performing a blood test in aviolent crime case is friend with the suspect, the results of the test are dubious at best the samething holds for computer forensics. As those who have been on stand in this position will attest, you must be unbrased. If the opposing counsel can create the impression that you are biassed, you will be embarrassed the stand or in deposotion. 

Preparing For a Forensics Operation

Before your start an investigation of any case, you have a throught understanding of the forensics process, technical training, and proper lab preparation. these are critical to the success of an investigation. All the tachnicians assigned to our unit are required to have the necessary training and background to understand and conduct investigations the training ensures that technicians avoid frequently made mistekes,as turning on the computer to"check it out and see if anything important is in there".

Our teams runs a secure lab and a formal case-management system. Before we started on the ACME case, we pretested all the tods in the lab and neatly tucked the portable hardware units into the flyaway kits. Your are ready to go when the call came to us. Our case-management system lets us handle the case and organize the evidance as it is returned to the lab. You can control a large number of system, tracking where the system go and assigning the systems unique numbers with the proper documentation attached. This enable us to compare notes quickly and understand similiarities found in multiple computers.   

The Key Attributes Required for Success

First, Successful componies have stilled people at all levels inside the company, including (1) leaders who develop and articulate sound strategic visions; (2) managers who make value-adding decisions, design effecient business processes, and train and motivate work forces and (3) a capable work force willing to implement the company's strategies and tacties.

Second, Successful companies have strong relationship with suppliers, who then deliver high-quality materials an time and at a reasonable cost. This is particulary true in the areas of information technology and logistics. Successful companies also excel in customer relationship management- leading to repeat sales, higher profit margins, and lower costs to acquire new customers.

Third, Successful companies have enough capital to execute their plans and support their operations. For example, most companies need cash to purchase land, buildings, equipment, and materials. Companies can reinvest a portion of their earnings, but most also raise additional funds externally, by some combination of selling stock and/or borrowing in the financial markets.