At first glance, digital forensics sounds like something out of a detective story. From the concept alone, one quickly has images of crime scenes and laboratories in one’s eye. But digital forensics is not only something for criminology, but also for companies.
The branch of forensic IT science refers to the recovery and investigation of material to identify possible weaknesses and “open doors”. In companies, it is considered part of data analysis by protecting equipment, software, and servers from attack, or by looking for possible gaps and problems.
Digital forensics is thus concerned with recovering or examining material found on digital devices. If necessary, this is often done due to a hack or a suspected data security leak, it is only a guess or already a fact. Digital forensics is therefore used to identify a leak within an organization, determine possible damage and make networks more secure.
So the field of cyber security is also divided into the following areas:
- Computer forensics
- Network Forensics
- Forensic data analysis
- Forensics for mobile devices
To build your own digital forensics team, you need people who like to solve puzzles, spend a lot of time on details and have a deep understanding of the subject. At first glance, this description also fits perfectly to forensic experts in criminology. The understanding needed here, however, goes into the areas of networks, software and hardware.
The most important skill, however, is an understanding of data science processes. After all, it is the digital forensic scientist’s job to find and interpret unusual or erroneous data.
As cyber security becomes more and more important in our world of data and networked processes, the search for traces in the digital space must also be increasingly focused on. The early recognition of dangers and points of attack must become part of the everyday life of a company today. Tracing in cyberspace is therefore a profession for the future in which it is already possible to receive excellent training today.