Behavioral & Applied Social Sciences - Majors

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Computer Forensics
Behavioral and Applied Social Sciences

Computer Forensics is a new and growing field in the area of hi-tech crime investigation. Participants in this program will learn how to provide a secure computer environment and learn techniques for collecting and analyzing computer-related evidence. A graduate of this program will be prepared for entry-level positions as a data recovery technician or member of a security team who monitors and supports computer-based security systems. Graduates would be able to implement procedures/software to maintain a secure computer environment for a business/organization or criminal justice agency. One would also be able to obtain evidence that could be used in a court of law, aid in harvesting intellectual property from computers acquired in a company buy-out, and monitor and support security systems.

Program Details:
The computer forensic program includes courses in general education as well as computer and information technology fundamentals, which feed into a core program of criminal justice, computer-based forensics, and network-based forensics at beginner and advanced levels. Each student participates in an internship with either law enforcement or business (such as a bank performing fraud reduction), and also must obtain a nationally-recognized certification in computer forensics or security. Students also take part in hands-on labs and community service projects such as providing safe and sanitized computers for the Family Justice Center's victims of domestic stalking.

The successful DC graduate will be forensics-capable, security-aware and civic-minded, and armed with solid, first-hand field experience.
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The HOLoDEC is a special computer lab dedicated solely for the Computer Forensics major at Defiance College.

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Careers:
Forensics - Evidence Collection and Analysis to Support Criminal or Security-Related Investigations

Security - Fortification and Monitoring of an Organization's Computer Infrastructure

E-Discovery - Harvesting Intellectual Property from Acquired Computers

Students interested in the Computer Forensics Major should discuss the requirements of the major and the opportunities upon graduation with Dr. Gregg Gunsch, Associate Professor of Computer Forensics.

The Computer Forensics Major requires
completion of 68 credit hours:

View 4 Year Sample Plan of Study

Do you enjoy solving problems and deciphering puzzles?

Is it enough for you to know how to work something, or do you also want to know how and why it works?

Are you comfortable around computers? Are you the kind of person who's always changing them, making them better?

Do people sometimes call you a "geek," and when they do, it's a compliment?

Do you do well with details, science and math? Do you have patience and personal discipline?

Do crimes against innocent and defenseless people make you angry and wish you could do something about them?

Goals:

To apply basic principles of criminal and business law to ensure the admissibility of evidence in a criminal or civil proceeding
To apply the basic concepts of network design, data communications, and Internet principles and practices in the search for and recovery of lost data, and in intrusion detection
To use multiple operating systems at the network administrator level of security in order to obtain/work with evidence from different types of computer systems
To apply basics of PC management techniques to identify and manipulate the hardware components of a computer system in the process of documentation for a criminal or civil case
To apply the basics of security systems, intrusion detection, search and seizure, and economic crime investigation to the network and PC environment
To develop professional ethics appropriate to the field of computer forensics
To routinely use the PC or other appropriate technology as a tool in his/her daily data recovery, intrusion detection, and business/office-related activities

Where to Search for Evidence:
Most people believe that deleting a file means that it is gone forever; however, it is only marked for deletion, not removed from the hard drive. Until new data completely overwrites the storage areas, the original data can be recovered. In addition, all information used by the computer is stored in the computer’s main memory at some point, and this information is generally mirrored in a hard drive file called the ‘swap file’ - a valuable source of evidence. Traces of email, instant messages, chat room conversations, web browsing activities, image files, temporary word processing documents, malicious software, and even password-protected encrypted data are just some of the types of evidence that can be recovered. Digital evidence is also not limited to computers and networks. Other devices store rich amounts of retrievable data as well, such as cell phones, PDAs, GPS systems, and embedded computers in automobiles. As technology continues to advance and make devices smarter and more ubiquitous, the opportunities and techniques for finding digital evidence also increase, making digital forensics a career with continual growth potential.
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Contact:
Gregg H. Gunsch, Ph.D., PE, CISSP, GCFA
Associate Professor of Computer Forensics
Phone: 419-783-2460
Email: ggunsch@defiance.edu

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