WEEK 3 & 4

This time around, we learned about the legal aspects of computer forensics. Forensics is always associated with one word: and that is crime. Combine it with computers and you have something that is mainly an issue nowadays which is cybercrime. Technological advancement serves as a breeding grounds for new kinds of crimes that can be committed virtually. Theft and penetration used to be done physically by sly thieves. Nowadays, they could just hack their way through websites, online banking systems, even sensitive personal information just to get what they want. In terms of presenting evidence to a crime, obtaining a physical proof is undoubtedly stronger than an intangible claim. Although virtual evidence may be less reliable than physical evidence, they still hold the key towards solving crimes that are happening on the web if they are collected, stored and presented properly for jurisdiction. The methodology involves three alliterative steps: Acquire, Authenticate, and Analyze. Among the three steps, a single rule has to be observed and strictly followed: and that is, to assure that the data to be used must be constant. Even the slightest modifications can cost the integrity of the evidence. In legal cases, it is always important to handle the evidence with care especially if it is something volatile like data.