Essay on Digital Forensics Certifications: Meeting Society's Demand for Cybercrime Prevention

Introduction

In the digital and computer forensics, there are various certification programs available in the view of allowing equitable forensic and criminology procedures. Some other certification programs are vaguely recognizable in the forensic fields. Additionally, the need for the continued certification of the forensic programs is driven by the steady demand in digital applications in society. Cybercrimes have escalated in recent years; the more the cybercrimes in the society, the more they need for qualified digital forensics in the society. There has also a higher demand for forensic investigators; this is mainly found in the federal governments where every police department needs a qualified forensic investigator with relevant credentials to conduct a digital forensic investigation. Information technology professionals are bound to gain clear and valid investigatory procedures in meeting the threshold for adequate forensic investigators.

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Education

As a result, there has always been a continuing and steady rise in several companies that offer computer forensic training procedures and the certifications of the same course. Most of these companies and training institutions are accredited as private institutions; the core aim of the said institutions is to ensure that there are sufficient training procedures in the digital forensic investigations (Vincze, 2016). Offering such education is allowed by both the state and federal government; by so doing, the government is able to curb and mitigate digital crimes such as those occurring in the cybercrimes. Most of the interested parties might find it trickier in establishing the right institution to pursue the course, however, the training and the education level for the digital forensic is aimed towards improving the investigatory procedures in the criminology department. There are some qualifications that one needs to achieve in becoming a digital forensic investigator. One needs to have minimally graduated from high school, enrolled in a law enforcement academy, and achieved a college degree in CSI at least in two to four years of study (Vincze, 2016). Again, the candidate needs to obtain a professional certification and has joined relevant associations in the move to be accredited with the relevancy of been a digital forensic investigator.

The testing for accredited individuals calls for a detailed analysis of the individuals engaging in the profession. The use of various thresholds tests the individuals; for instance, the qualification purposes of the individuals are a testing criterion. Additionally, the digital forensic professional certifications call for a multi-disciplinary technique from which the incidents are associated with the use of the computers (Seigfried-Spellar, 2017). The participants also need to be related to crucial qualification in the technology and computer-related knowledge; this makes it an effective way from which the interested parties will gain essential computer theory and the practicability of the first level digital forensic investigations.

Individuals who wish to venture into this field need to have a clear understanding of the role of technology and computer in conducting investigations on matters related to computers and cybercrimes. It is also imperative to ensure that the individuals must be prepared to deal with the effects of law enforcement in conducting and investigating cybercrimes (Seigfried-Spellar, 2017). By the use of digital forensic investigations, it has enabled a significant resolution regarding the curbing of the computer-related crimes. Recent researchers have indicated that there is a higher rate of cybercrimes; this has called upon the dare need to venture and engage in digital forensic courses.

Experience in the field

For one to accredit with having qualified as a digital forensic investigator, the participants need to have at least some experience in the field. There are no specific years of experience for the digital forensic professionals; instead, the participants need to gain more and more knowledge and prove to have a good clinch in the matters related to cybercrimes; specifically in forensic investigations. The individuals venturing into this field need to be in a position to locate and recover the essential pieces of evidence drawn from diverse platforms and the Operating Systems by the use of various tools (Sachowski, 2018). Additionally, the experience in the field calls for the participants to identify and articulate the probable cause of the cybercrime, recognize the information gained, and maintain the chain of the custody related to the electronic shreds of evidence. Once the individual is able to execute these processes, then, they are believed to have significant experiences in the digital forensics in the end. Gain, the participants need to apply industry the most recent industry best-practices in the analysis of both digital evidence and the real-life case scenarios; this will also help the learners and the digital forensic investigators in undertaking and understanding of the underlying digital investigations by validation to the evidence, analyzing, and presenting the data using various digital forensic tools.

What are the certifying bodies testing procedures to gain certification

Several certifying bodies are associated with the testing procedures in order to gain certification. In order for one to be termed as a digital forensics professional, there are some thresholds that they need to have attained (Hassan, 2019). The individuals need to have gained both soft and hard skills in forensic investigations. The forensic and criminology laws are among the core testing bodies that need to be incorporated when it comes to one qualifying as a qualified digital forensic professional.

Depending on which professional body will be associated with the provision of the certification, the individuals are bound to gain more and more benefits. In most cases, the certifying authorities allow one to participate in the private listservs and receive some benefits, for instance, professional liability insurance (Furnell, Michael, Piper, Chris, Catherine & Ensor, 2018). Upon the qualifications in the certification exam, one might be in a better position in getting exposed to a broader range of jobs. However, it is imperative to have a respected credential that demonstrates dedication in the said field.

Cost of certification Renewal of certification

Once the certification is done for digital forensics professional certifications, there have been no other costs for the renewal of the certification. Most of the certifying bodies are guided by the essential procedures which hinder them from additional renewal costs. Similarly, other certifying organizations have always incorporated some additional renewal costs in case individuals wish to renew their certifications (Furnell, Michael, Piper, Chris, Catherine & Ensor, 2018). The certifications include the Digital Forensics Certified Practitioner, Digital Forensics Certified Associate, and the Digital Forensics Certified Practitioner Fellow. Each certification is believed to have diverse requirements that guide it in the accomplishment of the digital forensics professional certifications.

In accomplishing these certifications, there is a need for continued education in the forensic fields; this means that the individuals interested in learning and pursuing digital

Forensics Professional Certifications need to be willing to learning and researching more and more in order to gain a higher level of competency.

References

Furnell, S., Michael, K., Piper, F., Chris, E., Catherine, H., & Ensor, C. (2018, September). A national certification programme for academic degrees in cyber security. In IFIP World Conference on Information Security Education (pp. 133-145). Springer, Cham.

Hassan, N. A. (2019). Introduction: Understanding Digital Forensics. In Digital Forensics Basics (pp. 1-33). Apress, Berkeley, CA.

Sachowski, J. (2018). Digital Forensics and Investigations: People, Process, and Technologies to Defend the Enterprise. CRC Press.

Seigfried-Spellar, K. C., & Rogers, M. (2017). Development of A Professional Code of Ethics in Digital Forensics.

Vincze, E. A. (2016). Challenges in digital forensics. Police Practice and Research, 17(2), 183-194.