Research in Computer Forensics

摘要

Computer Forensics involves the preservation, identification, extraction and documentation of computer evidence stored in the form of magnetically encoded information. With the proliferation of E-commerce initiatives and the increasing criminal activities on the web, this area of study is catching on in the IT industry and among the law enforcement agencies. The objective of the study is to explore the techniques of computer forensics from the computer security perspective. Specifically, the thesis looks into the application of forensic principles and techniques, security designs of computer hardware and software, and network protocols, in an effort to discover the trails of the computer hackers. The theses subsequently packages this knowledge into a curriculum for a twelve weeks resident course at the Naval Postgraduate School. Complementing the research and course materials are surveys conducted on agencies and vendors currently providing computer forensic courses and training, reading materials, and software tools applicable to computer forensic investigation. The purpose of these surveys is to provide a depository of useful information related to the specialized discipline of computer security.