Computer Forensics Professional Certifications - Research Paper Example

Computer Forensic Research Paper: Computer Forensics Professional Certifications Introduction Computer forensics has gained a lot of recognition in the recent past due to the development of the importance of cyber security. There is the increase of computer crimes due to the high use of the internet and computer devices. With the increasing reports for the various computer crimes, there is the creation of the need for people qualified in offering solutions to this situation. There is a demand for qualified computer crime investigators who will help in keeping computer users safe from hackers and other forms of computer crimes. In regard to a computer forensic, the demand is high especially in the police stations due to the need of understanding computer and related issues in the law enforcement line of work computer forensics involves the analysis and investigation of computing devices for the purpose of using that knowledge to provide witness in a court of law. The term involves the collection, analysis and report of digital data in a legally admissible manner. The specialization in computer forensics assists in the detection and prevention of crime in a country, especially in a situation where there is a digital storage of information. Mostly, digital information may have storage of information in the form of internet history, emails and other documents that may prove a crime. Through a careful computer forensics analysis, it is possible to gain information on the metadata of the emails and documents. Computer forensic analysts also have a lot of importance to companies. They assist in presenting admissible information on business related issues such as industrial espionage, intellectual property theft, investigations of fraud and employment disputes. All these functions and roles of the computer forensics professionals indicate that the various professionals should have creditable certifications from professional certification bodies. It is of importance in analyzing the various aspects required of a computer forensic professional before acquiring certification. The certification of the professional computer forensic individual from a professional body will assist in legalizing the qualification of computer forensic. Pre-certification Requirements of a Computer Forensic Professional There exist various professional certification bodies for the computer forensic professionals, but in this research, there will only be the consideration of three professional bodies. One of the professional bodies of computer forensics professionals under consideration in the research will include the GIAC Computer Forensics certifications. The professional body offers various certifications that include the GCFA which is the GIAC certified Forensic Analyst, the GIAC Reverse Engineering malware (GREM), the GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner (GCFE) and the GIAC Network Forensic Analyst (GNFA) (Global information Assurance Certification, 2015). Other professional bodies include the Internation Association of computer Investigative Specialists, IACIS, who offer training and certification of computer forensic qualification. The other professional body under analysis in the research is the Certified Cyber Forensics professionals, CCFP, who offer the professional computer forensic certification (Certified Cyber Forensic Professional, 2015). Among the various precertification requirements of the GIAC certification includes the requirement of having successfully passed the exam of the professional body. The exam tests the knowledge, abilities and skills of the candidate in acquiring and investigating evidence contained in digital sources and systems. After acquiring, the candidate should have the capability of recovering important artifacts for the purposes of proving or disapproving a fact. Further, the candidate should have the knowledge of producing report for the findings of the investigation and have knowledge of presenting the information in a criminal or civil litigation. The IACIS professional body also has some requirements before awarding their computer forensic certifications to learners. The candidates for receiving the computer forensic certifications from the IACIS professional body have the obligation of having a college level of education in computer forensic category (Internation Association of Computer Investigative, 2015). Among the factors tested by the body before issuing their certificates include whether the candidate can use the various digital systems and tactics in recovering hidden digital information. They test the proficiency in the use of the file system timeline analysis, memory inspections on digital devices and the use of the registry analysis. According to the professional body of the IACIS, the various candidates should have the ability of recovering and finding hidden rootkits and malware. In the case of the CCFP, the pre-certification requirement is that their candidates who want the professional certificate in computer forensics should have the proficiency of correctly applying the various computer forensic expertises in various challenges presented to them (Certified Cyber Forensic Professional, 2015). Most of the candidates for the certification from CFP have other digital forensic certifications. Factors to Gain Certification There are several factors involved in gaining certification of computer forensics from the various professional bodies. They include the factors of the cost of certification. In the case of the professional body of GIAC, a professional exam to gain the computer forensic professional certificate costs $750 per exam (Global information Assurance Certification, 2015). At the IACIS, the cost of undertaking raining and gaining certification of a computer forensic profession costs an average of $ 1700 (Internation Association of Computer Investigative, 2015). Online certification of the course and certification for computer forensic is at$ 2700. The amount of money paid for the training and certification of the computer forensic course depends on the nature and complexity of the course. At the IACIS certification body, there is a waiver of recertification and proficiency exam fees if the candidate has had a continued membership at the professional body institute (Internation Association of Computer Investigative, 2015). Other professional bodies including the GIAC and CCFP require renewal fee for membership as a member of the professional body (Certified Cyber Forensic Professional, 2015). The professional bodies under analysis in this research, however, have a renewal of their certificates that they issue to the various candidates. Due to the availability of various computer forensic training courses available and certified by the professional bodies, there is the requirement of continuation of education for the gaining of more certificates. Computer forensic training is a professional course, and as such, it requires a constant development of the knowledge gained. Value of Computer Forensic Certification in the Cyber Forensic Career There exist several certifications of the cyber forensics in the various professional bodies. Among the certifications include the Certified Forensic Computer examiner, CFCE. The IACIS professional body offers this computer forensic certification. The completion of the training of this course will qualify the candidate for receiving the Certified Electronic Evidence Collection specialist (CEES). The certification for this training signifies that the professional certified is I a position of seizing and gathering digital evidence for forensic investigation purposes. Another computer forensic certification is the certified Computer examiner (CCE). This certification indicated that the professional certified has the technical capability of handling and recovering digital data through following sound procedures in the process. The CCFP professional body offers this certificate (Certified Cyber Forensic Professional, 2015). Another certificate offered by the CCFP professional body is the Certified Forensic Computer Examiner, (CFCE). The training offered and issued tested in this certification for a computer forensic expert include the ability of handling digital data with the purpose of finding the cause of the attack on the digital information, compiling the evidence for the investigation and handling repercussions that could emerge from the corporate environment. From the GIAC professional body, there is the offer of the certified forensic Analyst. The main purpose of this type of analyst is to handle all digital content and have the capability of presenting the results for the evaluation in a court of law. The reverse Engineering Malware is another certificate offered by the professional body of the GIAC (Global information Assurance Certification, 2015). The professionals that acquire tis certificate have the capability of protecting business entities from malicious computer codes that might have a negative effect on the digital data. Conclusion There exist several professional bodies that offer the computer forensic professional certificates. Due to the rise of computer crimes, there is the increased necessity of having computer forensic professionals that have a professional certificate from a renowned professional body. Among the various professional bodies analyzed in the research include the GIAC professional body, the Internation Association of computer Investigative Specialists, IACIS, and the Certified Cyber Forensics professionals, CCFP. All these professional bodies have pre-certification requirements that address the level of education required of the candidates of certification by the body and the testing done by the professional bodies. Another common factor about the researched professional bodies is that they have certain requirements for the purpose of the various candidates gaining their certificates. These requirements address the various costs involved with dealing with the specific professional bodies. References Certified Cyber Forensic Professional. (2015). Home and services. CCFP. Retrieved April 27, 2015 from https://www.isc2.org/ccfp/default.aspx Global information Assurance Certification. (2015). Home and Services. GIAC. Retrieved April 27, 2015 from https://www.giac.org/certifications/forensics International Association of Computer Investigative. (2015). Home and services. IACIS. Retrieved April 27, 2015 from http://www.iacis.com Read More