Expert Witness Blog
Computers expert witness Scott Greene of Great Scott Enterprises, Inc., writes that it is important to understand that computer forensics is not just “looking around in a computer.”
There are very specific protocols for recovering, preserving and analyzing the data as evidence. Certain data may need to be recovered due to the fact that it was purposely destroyed. In addition, there are data files that are created during normal operation of the operating system or of an application program that individuals usually don’t realize exist. These intricacies require an expert. Proper handling techniques preserves data from websites, computer files, fax machines, emails, etc.
Did you know that:
Some fax machines can contain exact duplicates of the last several hundred pages received?
Faxes sent or received via computer may remain indefinitely on the computer?People tend to write things in email that they would never consider writing in a memorandum or letter?
Email has been used successfully in criminal cases as well as civil litigation.
Email is often backed up on tapes that are generally kept for months or years?Excerpted from http://great-scott.com/index.html