Digital forensics and incident response: Is it the career for you?

Introduction

When many of us think of detective work, we conjure up images of trench-coated detectives chasing bad guys down darkened alleyways or poring over black-and-white crime scene photos. While there’s no rule against wearing a trench coat or smoking a briar pipe, the nature of detective work has evolved dramatically in recent decades. 

Crimes are taking place more and more often in the digital realm, which requires a totally different skill set — magnifying glasses are swapped for forensics tools used to extract evidence from hard drives and SIM cards. The need for those skills is on the rise, according to PwC’s Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey 2020:

• 31% of companies experienced losses as a result of cybercrime — that makes cybercrime the second most common kind of economic crime. 
• 34% of all fraud cases in the US were committed by hackers 
• Only 50% of companies conducted a fraud investigation 

With the rate of cybercrimes on the rise, the world needs people who can investigate these crimes more than ever. 

Cindy Murphy, president of Gillware Digital Forensics (now Tetra Defense), is one of those people. She started her career in the US Army as a military police officer, and she’s taken part in digital investigations for both law enforcement agencies and private companies. Her well-rounded background means she has a ton of insights and advice to share with anyone considering a career in this exciting niche of cybersecurity. 

Murphy recently appeared in an Infosec webinar to share what it’s like to be in the digital forensics field and how newcomers can get started. 

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What is digital forensics and incident response? 

Part digital Sherlock Holmes and part mad scientist, a career in digital forensics is ever-changing and never-boring, according to Murphy. Professionals (Read more...)