A comparative study of teaching forensics at a university degree level

Computer forensics is a relatively young University discipline which has developed strongly in the United States and the United Kingdom but is still in its infancy in continental Europe. The national programmes and courses offered therefore differ in many ways. We report on two recently established degree programmes from two European countries: Great Britain and Germany. We present and compare the design of both programmes and conclude that they cover two complementary and orthogonal aspects of computer forensics education: (a) rigorous practical skills and (b) competence for fundamental research discoveries

On the Development of a Digital Forensics Curriculum

Computer Crime and computer related incidents continue their prevalence and frequency, resulting in losses approaching billions of dollars. To fight against these crimes and frauds, it is urgent to develop digital forensics education programs to train a suitable workforce that can effectively investigate computer crimes and incidents. There is presently no standard to guide the design of digital forensics curriculum for an academic program. In this research, previous work on digital forensics curriculum design and existing education programs are thoroughly investigated. Both digital forensics educators and practitioners were surveyed and results were analyzed to determine the industry and law enforcement need for skills and knowledge for their digital forensic examiners. Based on the survey results and the topics that make up certificate programs in digital forensics, topics that are desired in digital forensics courses are identified. Finally, based on the research findings, six digital forensics courses and required topics are proposed to be offered in both undergraduate and graduate digital forensics programs

Security and computer forensics in web engineering education

The integration of security and forensics into Web Engineering curricula is imperative! Poor security in web-based applications is continuing to cost organizations millions and the losses are still increasing annually. Security is frequently taught as a stand-alone course, assuming that security can be 'bolted on' to a web application at some point. Security issues must be integrated into Web Engineering processes right from the beginning to create secure solutions and therefore security should be an integral part of a Web Engineering curriculum. One aspect of Computer forensics investigates failures in security. Hence, students should be aware of the issues in forensics and how to respond when security failures occur; collecting evidence is particularly difficult for Web-based applications

Computer forensics methodology and praxis.

This thesis lays the groundwork for creation of a graduate-level computer forensics course. It begins with an introduction explaining how computing has invaded modern life and explains what computer forensics is and its necessity. The thesis then argues why universities need to be at the forefront of educating students in the science of computer forensics as opposed to proprietary education courses and the benefits to law enforcement agencies of having a computer scientist perform forensic analyses. It continues to detail what computer forensics is and is not. The thesis then addresses legal issues and the motivation for the topic. Following this section is a review of current literature pertaining to the topic. The last half of the thesis lays a groundwork for design of a computer forensics course at the graduate level by detailing a methodology to implement which contains associated laboratory praxis for the students to follow

The Defiance College Undergraduate Major in Digital Forensic Science: Setting the Bar Higher

This paper provides background information to accompany the panel discussion on Curriculum Design and Implementation in Computer Forensics Education. It is specifically focused on the content and delivery of Defiance College’s undergraduate (B.S.) program majoring in Digital Forensic Science (DFS). The genesis and evolution of the Defiance College DFS program are described, along with its successes, challenges and known opportunities for improvement. The desired outcomes of the panel discussion include articulating the necessary components of an undergraduate program, refining expectations of knowledge and skills required of students upon graduation, and suggesting strategies for achieving those expectations despite inevitable resource limitations and diverse student demographics. Keywords: education, undergraduate, digital forensics, computer forensics, pedagogy, skills developmen

An Examination of Computer Forensics and Related Certifications In The Accounting Curriculum

Forensic accounting has been a fast-growing niche area within the accounting field for many years. While there has been dramatic growth in the number of courses and degrees in forensic accounting offered by universities, certain relevant topics receive little coverage, such as computer forensics. The purpose of this paper is to examine the views of accounting academics and practitioners pertaining to integrating computer forensics in the accounting curriculum, as well as to determine which forensic accounting certifications the respondents hold. Differences in opinions between the two groups are discussed, along with recommendations on how to improve the forensic accounting curriculum pertaining to computer forensics education

Book Review: Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations (3rd Ed.)

Nelson, B., Phillips, A., Enfinger, F., &amp; Steuart, C. (2008). Guide to computer forensics and investigations (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 693 pages, ISBN: 1-4180-6733-4 (paper).Reviewed by Keyu Jiang ([email protected]) and Ruifeng Xuan ([email protected]), Department of Information Networking and Telecommunications, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS 67601Nelson, Phillips, Enfinger, and Steuart’s book is about the science of computer forensics and its implications in crime investigations. This book is not intended to provide comprehensive training in computer forensics, but introduce the science the science of computer forensics and its implications in crime investigations.  It focused on establishing a solid foundation for those who are new to this field.  Nelson, Philips, Enfiger, and Steuart are experienced experts in different areas of computer forensics.  Different expertise makes this book could benefit many groups of people at different educational level and industrial background.(see PDF for full review)</p

Viability of Consumer Grade Hardware for Learning Computer Forensics Principles

We propose utilizing budget consumer hardware and software to teach computer forensics principles and for non-case work, research and developing new techniques. Consumer grade hardware and free / open source software is more easily accessible in most developing markets and can be used as a first purchase for education, technique development and even when developing new techniques. These techniques should allow for small forensics laboratories or classroom settings to have the tooling and framework for trying existing forensics techniques or creating new forensics techniques on consumer grade hardware. We\u27ll be testing how viable each individual piece of hardware is as well as combinations along with seeing at which point utilizing forensics-grade hardware becomes necessary in order to proceed

Next Generation of Evidence Collecting: The Need for Digital Forensics in Criminal Justice Education

Digital forensics poses significant challenges to law enforcement as the information found in a computer system is often present at most crime scenes in the form of computer data and cell phones. Digital evidence contained on common devices, such as cell phones and laptops, includes information that can be pertinent to the investigation of crimes. Law enforcement is increasingly identifying the need to be able to process their evidence internally warranting the exploration of the need for digital forensics training as part of a broader study of criminal justice for future law enforcement practitioners. This paper uses telephone surveys of police agencies in the North Texas area to explore their capabilities and need for trained digital forensic examiners (n=42). Findings suggest that digital forensic education is needed as most police examiners are trained first as police officers and secondly as digital forensics examiners. Future education challenges and policy implications are discussed

Development and Dissemination of a New Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Curriculum in Digital Forensics

The Information Trust Institute (ITI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is developing an entirely new multidisciplinary undergraduate curriculum on the topic of digital forensics, and this paper presents the findings of the development process, including initial results and evaluation of a pilot offering of the coursework to students. The curriculum consists of a four-course sequence, including introductory and advanced lecture courses with parallel laboratory courses, followed by an advanced course. The content has been designed to reflect both the emerging national standards and the strong multidisciplinary character of the profession of digital forensics, and includes modules developed collaboratively by faculty experts in multiple fields of computer science, law, psychology, social sciences, and accountancy. A preliminary plan for the introductory course was presented to a workshop of digital forensics experts in May 2013 and received their strong approval. Pilot versions of the introductory and introductory lab courses were taught to a mixture of computer science and law students at the University of Illinois in the fall of 2013, and were very positively received by the students, who made it clear that they appreciated the multidisciplinary approach. The curriculum, which is designed to obviate the need for expensive labs or team-teaching by specialized faculty, will be made available to other colleges and universities in order to improve the content and quality of existing digital forensics programs, to inspire and greatly facilitate the creation of new programs, and, ultimately, to increase the number of educated practitioners. The developed resources can be used as the basis for future academic programs, distance learning, and multidisciplinary, multi-institutional programs that meet evolving digital forensics educational standards. Much of the material, including a virtual laboratory, will be provided on-line. Introductory course materials will be distributed to other institutions beginning in the summer of 2014; advanced course materials should be available for distribution in 2015. Related outreach activities have been undertaken and will be continued. Keywords: Digital forensics, Computer forensics, Curriculum development, Curriculum standards, Education standards, Training standards, Undergraduate education, Interdisciplinary studie