The Essential Guide to Hiring a Private Detective for Effective Private Investigations
Computers and digital devices power modern society. They provide the tools you need to live and work in the way you want, as well as the storage capabilities required to keep crucial information safe and protected. But computers also hold mysteries to many of us — they may continue to hold information even when files are deleted, and they may offer the key to an investigation buried deep down in the hardware.
Whether you are trying to recover data to provide an audit trail for your business, or you believe that there is vital evidence hidden on a hard drive, this secretive aspect of computer technology can be frustrating. However, there is no need to despair. You simply need to enlist the services of a computer forensics expert.
In this article, we’ll be looking at the role of these computer forensics experts and at what forensics can do for you. Read on to discover more.
What Does a Computer Forensics Investigator Do?
A computer forensics investigator works to recover and analyze data from within a computer device or a digital storage system. With a number of different techniques and approaches on their side, these investigators can recover information even if it has been “deleted” from the device.
A computer forensics investigator may work with a law enforcement team, seeking out evidence for a criminal prosecution, or they may work with a civil organization in a similar capacity. They may also be employed by companies that need to retrieve their own lost data or complete a missing document audit trail, or by a private individual who needs to conduct an investigation or find missing files.
What Is Computer Forensics?
While the role of a computer forensics investigator is largely straightforward, the techniques they use may be more complex. Let’s take a look at some of the methods that make up the discipline of computer forensics:
- Live computer analysis. This is an analysis of a computer device or data storage system from within the operating system. Investigators use the computer’s own operational functionality to uncover evidence.
- Deleted file searches. When a file is deleted from a computer device, the file or its traces are often still found somewhere in the system. Investigators can find and recover these deleted files in many instances.
- Analysis across multiple sources. Investigators can coordinate their efforts across multiple data stores, piecing together files and data sets from a number of different sources.
- Stochastic forensics. Stochastic digital forensics analyzes the traces and indicators of files and data. Even if there is no data artifact left on the system, these indicators may be picked up by forensic techniques.
- Analysis of data in transit. Not all data is stored as a hard copy file. Forensic investigators can analyze volatile data in transit even if it has not been saved.
When Is Computer Forensics Used?
When might you need a computer forensics analyst? What situations call for a digital forensic investigation? Here are some of the most common scenarios:
- You are a plaintiff in a criminal or civil case and you believe evidence against the defendant is stored on a digital device.
- You are a defendant in a case and you believe evidence of your innocence is stored on a device.
- You believe an employee or professional partner has been acting against the interests of your company.
- You believe your spouse has been unfaithful and you want to start divorce proceedings.
- You have lost vital professional or personal information on your computer device and want to retrieve it.
- You need to complete a document audit for tax or regulatory purposes but cannot find all the data you need.
These are just a few examples of computer forensics in action. Basically, you can use computer forensic investigators to help you whenever you need to uncover data or files that may have been lost.
How to Hire a Computer Forensics Investigator
Perhaps you have looked at the above examples and you recognize your own situation. So, where do you go from here? How do you hire a computer forensics investigator?
Here at Barefoot Professional Investigations, we provide forensic experts who are ready to meet the needs of your case. Reach out to our team and tell us about what you need. From here, we can help you find the right investigator for the job.
A Computer Forensic Investigator Provides the Answer — Even When All Seems Lost
A deleted file, lost data, or information hidden deep in a computer system — this might feel like game over, but not to a computer forensics investigator. These professionals can deploy a range of cutting-edge techniques that will help you recover your data, find the evidence you need for your case, or retrieve the documents you need for regulatory and tax compliance.
If you feel like you’ve hit a brick wall with computer data retrieval, it may be time to call in the experts. Even if the data was deleted, spread across multiple storage devices, or exists in trace-form only, a professional investigator can help.
Check out our resources page to discover more about this kind of forensic investigation, or get in touch with our team to get started.
The post When Do You Need a Computer Forensics Investigator? appeared first on Barefoot Professional Investigations.
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