Business owners will always strive to secure their systems and prevent any security compromise. However, in some instances business systems may be breached and action needs to be taken after a security breach is detected.
This ability of a company to respond to system compromise or security breaches is referred to as forensics IT. Through this service, business owners are able to determine the extent of damage done and the source of the compromise.
Digital forensics experts also referred to as forensic IT personnel offer these services to check the impact and limit the cost of bringing back the business to where it was before the breach. It is critical for business owners to ensure this process is done with enough diligence. This is to limit any contamination of evidence.
The security personnel who does this are called a digital forensic investigator. The work of this investigator revolves around analyzing, searching and preserving information found on computer systems to find potential evidence.
The increase in use of the internet and computers means that digital crime rates also increase. Forensic IT services have many things they research for to make sure that at the end of investigation, business owners know everything they need to stay cautious and protect their businesses better.
In case you want to deploy a forensic IT investigation team, here are some of the services they may offer;
Computer Hacking Investigations
Hacking can take place in any business and through many ways.
At times, employees can make the business get hacked. Some hacking may even go unnoticed for days leading to further damage. After a hack, some crucial data or files may have been accessed or stolen.
In case you suspect your business has been hacked and you see missing files or records, a forensic expert will help you in investigating how the hack took place and what was compromised. After investigations, the digital forensic expert may get evidence which you can presented in court.
Mobile Technology
Information can be stored in many devices due to evolving technology. This may make it harder for businesses to secure and prevent unauthorised data access. With companies adopting the BYOD policy (Bring Your Own Device), personal devices can be used for business purposes. Employees may also carry removable devices like USB flash drives which can be risky to the business as they can transfer files for themselves.
Although such devices always simplify work, they may present risks in certain situations. In case of a security incident, such devices from employees may be used as evidence. You may be sure that information is likely to be deleted or devices will be formatted by the owners of the devices, which is true. However, forensic experts are able to recover almost everything even after this.
Even if a malicious individual destroys their computer, the memory image of the hard drive is still there. With this, investigators can even derive the time zone and location. However, you should ensure you hire an expert since evidence may get destroyed if the recovery process is completed wrongly.
Email Tracing and Investigation
Emails have become a major communication method as technology evolves and businesses depend more on the internet to communicate. Attackers are also increasingly using emails to compromise security. Many of these attacks are in the form of phishing which may be through malicious links or attachments. Attackers can easily copy the format of business emails and target unsuspecting employees or even customers.
Some attackers can also hijack emails coming from legitimate sources and change them to be malicious. In case this happens in your business, a forensic IT expert can help you get the true source of the malicious email. You may even decide to take legal action against the perpetrator as you will have concrete evidence.
Internet Investigations
You would be shocked at the amount of illegal activities that happen through the internet and mostly social media. Although crimes like cyber bullying are not likely to affect businesses and are mostly focused on individuals, some things like copyright infringement and fake social media posts about your businesses may affect you. Some individuals may make fake social media pages impersonating your business and even scam some people in the process.
You may also see some individuals trying to copy your business logo. You may require a forensic expert to track down such people. Social media has become a huge part of branding and you do not want malicious individuals messing up with your pages or even trying to impersonate your business.
Intellectual Property Theft
Employees can find it easy to copy information in your business. This is aided by things like Usb sticks or flash drives. In most instances, business owners may not be aware of such activities until a security incident related to copied information occurs. Employees may even distribute such critical information to a third party. During such instances, forensic experts will always come in handy to determine which computer information was copied from and through which means.
This is because traces are always left during such incidences. You will be able to know things like time information was copied and most likely identify the culprit. From such investigations, you will get a report which will brief you of everything that took place. This will allow you to secure your business better by deploying policies like prohibiting removable devices in business premises or even configuring your devices not to read removable devices.
Cyber security has become a critical aspect of all businesses. However, it may be compromised and your business’ information gets exposed or breached. Forensic IT services will always come in handy to help you in the investigation process. It is important for you to know when to deploy a computer forensic expert. After breach investigation, these experts will always have tips to secure your business or even take legal action.
However, you should ensure you secure your business enough to avoid this process. This is because it will come with extra costs. You may also end up losing clients after a cyber breach which is not attractive. In case you experience a system compromise or a security breach, always ensure you hire the best computer forensic companies and experts to trace what really happened or what loopholes attackers may have exploited.
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