Technology has made quite the difference in human life. It has advanced medicine and other areas. The same can be said for law enforcement. There are more resources to do the noble work of policing and criminal investigations. However, the criminals themselves have also been advanced by technology. They are savvy and come up with new ways to use it every day. Thus, the emergence of a fairly novel area of forensics. A Computer Forensic Investigator is a professional who combs through all the digital data finding clues. They then decipher it and present to the courts.

There are many forms of criminal fraud. It ranges from ponzi schemes to cyber theft. Both of these can be proven by following a digital trail. Through emails, tracing IP addresses and access into bank accounts, the analyst can tell if the person received or moved money illegally into an overseas account with criminal intent. Such evidence has been known to break cases wide open.

Companies are at a risk for cyber sabotage. Most of them keep their data online in seemingly safe clouds. Gadgets that master keystrokes while one enters their password can access these clouds. The result is a malicious or unintentional release of sensitive company information. Information that would only hurt the company but benefit the competitors. Some analysts offer their services to these companies as hackers. After they have hacked successfully, they go back and seal the loopholes making the company impenetrable.

If one is planning on going into this field of work, they have to be savvy. One has to have an interest in technology and be good at handling computer processes. The training is rigorous but tolerable. There is no need to go into the field half-baked. Therefore, it is important to learn all there is to learn before delving into the cyberspace.

Ever wondered how those tests that ask people to notice the differences can vary for different people? Some people have the gift of picking out anomalies, other have to work hard to find them while others just lack the skill. This is what sets apart the group that is suited for an investigative field. The individual must be able to notice crumbs and follow them undetected.

The evidence on the table could be the reason a criminal is locked up for a long time or it could be the thing that gets them off. It could be the key to justice for a murder or the get out of jail free card for the murderer. Once it is analyzed and deciphered, one has to write a foolproof report. One that does not leave room for ambiguity or release on technicalities.

Before going into this area, it important that one understand the risks. Scouring the cyber world for wrongdoers could have the criminals turn their attention on the hunter. Once the hunter becomes the hunted, things could go awry very fast.

One has to love their work for the career to flourish. They must seek to constantly improve their skills, be better every time. One should keep in mind that criminals are becoming smarter by the day. This means that they are covering their tracks better. There is the need for the hunters to keep up.