Practical Guide To Computer Forensics

Product Update: A Practical Guide to Digital ForensicsInvestigations (ISBN: 9780789759917), 2nd Edition, is now available. All you need to know to succeed in digital forensics: technical and investigative skills, in one book Complete, practical, and up-to-date Thoroughly covers digital forensics for Windows, Mac, mobile, hardware, and networks Addresses online and lab investigations, documentation, admissibility, and more By Dr. Darren Hayes, founder of Pace University's Code Detectives forensics lab–one of America's “Top 10 Computer Forensics Professors” Perfect for anyone pursuing a digital forensics career or working with examiners Criminals go where the money is. Today, trillions of dollars of assets are digital, and digital crime is growing fast. In response, demand for digital forensics experts is soaring. To succeed in this exciting field, you need strong technical and investigative skills. In this guide, one of the world's leading computer orensics experts teaches you all the skills you'll need. Writing for students and professionals at all levels, Dr. Darren Hayes presents complete best practices for capturing and analyzing evidence, protecting the chain of custody, documenting investigations, and scrupulously adhering to the law, so your evidence can always be used. Hayes introduces today's latest technologies and technical challenges, offering detailed coverage of crucial topics such as mobile forensics, Mac forensics, cyberbullying, and child endangerment. This guide's practical activities and case studies give you hands-on mastery of modern digital forensics tools and techniques. Its many realistic examples reflect the author's extensive and pioneering work as a forensics examiner in both criminal and civil investigations. Understand what computer forensics examiners do, and the types of digital evidence they work with Explore Windows and Mac computers, understand how their features affect evidence gathering, and use free tools to investigate their contents Extract data from diverse storage devices Establish a certified forensics lab and implement good practices for managing and processing evidence Gather data and perform investigations online Capture Internet communications, video, images, and other content Write comprehensive reports that withstand defense objections and enable successful prosecution Follow strict search and surveillance rules to make your evidence admissible Investigate network breaches, including dangerous Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) Retrieve immense amounts of evidence from smartphones, even without seizing them Successfully investigate financial fraud performed with digital devices Use digital photographic evidence, including metadata and social media images

Updated with the latest advances from the field, GUIDE TO COMPUTER FORENSICS AND INVESTIGATIONS, Fifth Edition combines all-encompassing topic coverage and authoritative information from seasoned experts to deliver the most comprehensive forensics resource available. This proven author team's wide ranging areas of expertise mirror the breadth of coverage provided in the book, which focuses on techniques and practices for gathering and analyzing evidence used to solve crimes involving computers. Providing clear instruction on the tools and techniques of the trade, it introduces readers to every step of the computer forensics investigation-from lab set-up to testifying in court. It also details step-by-step guidance on how to use current forensics software. Appropriate for learners new to the field, it is also an excellent refresher and technology update for professionals in law enforcement, investigations, or computer security. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

Use this hands-on, introductory guide to understand and implement digital forensics to investigate computer crime using Windows, the most widely used operating system. This book provides you with the necessary skills to identify an intruder's footprints and to gather the necessary digital evidence in a forensically sound manner to prosecute in a court of law. Directed toward users with no experience in the digital forensics field, this book provides guidelines and best practices when conducting investigations as well as teaching you how to use a variety of tools to investigate computer crime. You will be prepared to handle problems such as law violations, industrial espionage, and use of company resources for private use. Digital Forensics Basics is written as a series of tutorials with each task demonstrating how to use a specific computer forensics tool or technique. Practical information is provided and users can read a task and then implement it directly on their devices. Some theoretical information is presented to define terms used in each technique and for users with varying IT skills. What You’ll Learn Assemble computer forensics lab requirements, including workstations, tools, and more Document the digital crime scene, including preparing a sample chain of custody form Differentiate between law enforcement agency and corporate investigationsGather intelligence using OSINT sources Acquire and analyze digital evidence Conduct in-depth forensic analysis of Windows operating systems covering Windows 10–specific feature forensicsUtilize anti-forensic techniques, including steganography, data destruction techniques, encryption, and anonymity techniques Who This Book Is For Police and other law enforcement personnel, judges (with no technical background), corporate and nonprofit management, IT specialists and computer security professionals, incident response team members, IT military and intelligence services officers, system administrators, e-business security professionals, and banking and insurance professionals

Investigative computer forensics is playing an increasingly important role in the resolution of challenges, disputes, and conflicts of every kind and in every corner of the world. Yet, for many, there is still great apprehension when contemplating leveraging these emerging technologies, preventing them from making the most of investigative computer forensics and its extraordinary potential to dissect everything from common crime to sophisticated corporate fraud. Empowering you to make tough and informed decisions during an internal investigation, electronic discovery exercise, or while engaging the capabilities of a computer forensic professional, Investigative Computer Forensics explains the investigative computer forensic process in layman’s terms that users of these services can easily digest. Computer forensic/e-discovery expert and cybercrime investigator Erik Laykin provides readers with a cross section of information gleaned from his broad experience, covering diverse areas of knowledge and proficiency from the basics of preserving and collecting evidence through to an examination of some of the future shaping trends that these technologies are having on society. Investigative Computer Forensics takes you step by step through: Issues that are present-day drivers behind the converging worlds of business, technology, law, and fraud Computers and networks—a primer on how they work and what they are Computer forensic basics, including chain of custody and evidence handling Investigative issues to know about before hiring a forensic investigator Managing forensics in electronic discovery How cyber-firefighters defend against cybercrime and other malicious online activity Emerging standards of care in the handling of electronic evidence Trends and issues affecting the future of the information revolution and society as a whole Thoroughly researched and practical, Investigative Computer Forensics helps you—whether attorney, judge, businessperson, or accountant—prepare for the forensic computer investigative process, with a plain-English look at the complex terms, issues, and risks associated with managing electronic data in investigations and discovery.

Annotation All you need to know to succeed in digital forensics: technical and investigative skills, in one bookComplete, practical, and up-to-dateThoroughly covers digital forensics for Windows, Mac, mobile, hardware, and networksAddresses online and lab investigations, documentation, admissibility, and moreBy Dr. Darren Hayes, founder of Pace University's Code Detectives forensics lab-one of America's "Top 10 Computer Forensics Professors"Perfect for anyone pursuing a digital forensics career or working with examinersCriminals go where the money is. Today, trillions of dollars of assets are digital, and digital crime is growing fast. In response, demand for digital forensics experts is soaring. To succeed in this exciting field, you need strong technical and investigative skills. In this guide, one of the world's leading computer orensics experts teaches you all the skills you'll need.Writing for students and professionals at all levels, Dr. Darren Hayes presents complete best practices for capturing and analyzing evidence, protecting the chain of custody, documenting investigations, and scrupulously adhering to the law, so your evidence can always be used.Hayes introduces today's latest technologies and technical challenges, offering detailed coverage of crucial topics such as mobile forensics, Mac forensics, cyberbullying, and child endangerment.This guide's practical activities and case studies give you hands-on mastery of modern digital forensics tools and techniques. Its many realistic examples reflect the author's extensive and pioneering work as a forensics examiner in both criminal and civil investigations.Understand what computer forensics examiners do, and the types of digital evidence they work withExplore Windows and Mac computers, understand how their features affect evidence gathering, and use free tools to investigate their contentsExtract data from diverse storage devicesEstablish a certified forensics lab and implement good practices for managing and processing evidenceGather data and perform investigations onlineCapture Internet communications, video, images, and other contentWrite comprehensive reports that withstand defense objections and enable successful prosecutionFollow strict search and surveillance rules to make your evidence admissibleInvestigate network breaches, including dangerous Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)Retrieve immense amounts of evidence from smartphones, even without seizing themSuccessfully investigate financial fraud performed with digital devicesUse digital photographic evidence, including metadata and social media images.

This work introduces the reader to the world of digital forensics in a practical and accessible manner. The text was written to fulfill a need for a book that introduces forensic methodology and sound forensic thinking, combined with hands-on examples for common tasks in a computer forensic examination. The author has several years of experience as a computer forensics examiner and is now working as a university-level lecturer. Guide to Digital Forensics: A Concise and Practical Introduction is intended for students that are looking for an introduction to computer forensics and can also be used as a collection of instructions for practitioners. The aim is to describe and explain the steps taken during a forensic examination, with the intent of making the reader aware of the constraints and considerations that apply during a fo rensic examination in law enforcement and in the private sector. Upon reading this book, the reader should have a proper overview of the field of digital forensics, starting them on the journey of becoming a computer forensics expert.

This Computer Forensic Guide is meant for IT professional who wants to enter into Computer Forensic domain.

Use this hands-on guide to understand the ever growing and complex world of digital security. Learn how to protect yourself from digital crime, secure your communications, and become anonymous online using sophisticated yet practical tools and techniques. This book teaches you how to secure your online identity and personal devices, encrypt your digital data and online communications, protect cloud data and Internet of Things (IoT), mitigate social engineering attacks, keep your purchases secret, and conceal your digital footprint. You will understand best practices to harden your operating system and delete digital traces using the most widely used operating system, Windows. Digital Privacy and Security Using Windows offers a comprehensive list of practical digital privacy tutorials in addition to being a complete repository of free online resources and tools assembled in one place. The book helps you build a robust defense from electronic crime and corporate surveillance. It covers general principles of digital privacy and how to configure and use various security applications to maintain your privacy, such as TOR, VPN, and BitLocker. You will learn to encrypt email communications using Gpg4win and Thunderbird. What You’ll Learn Know the various parties interested in having your private data Differentiate between government and corporate surveillance, and the motivations behind each one Understand how online tracking works technically Protect digital data, secure online communications, and become anonymous online Cover and destroy your digital traces using Windows OS Secure your data in transit and at rest Be aware of cyber security risks and countermeasures Who This Book Is For End users, information security professionals, management, infosec students