Published June 2003

EdCC offers computer forensics course

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

n A disgruntled employee of a financial-services firm is charged with planting a “logic bomb” program in more than 1,000 company computers, causing more than $3 million in damage to the computer network.

n A 20-year-old computer hacker admits to breaking into computers operated by NASA, a Northwest university and an Internet service provider, stealing credit-card numbers in one instance.

n A New Jersey man is sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for his part in unleashing the “Melissa” computer virus in 1999, causing some $80 million in damage and disrupting personal computers and computer networks.

Computer crime is a growing — and costly — problem.

According to the latest survey conducted by the Computer Security Institute in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 90 percent of its 503 respondents from the public and private sectors detected computer security breaches within the past year, and 80 percent suffered financial losses due to such breaches.

The quantity of computer crime has created a niche in the information technology sector for those who know how to handle a computer crime scene, said Sandra Riopelle, director of computer and technology training at Edmonds Community College’s Business & Technology Center.

In April, the center rolled out its “Introduction to Computer Forensics,” a 24-hour program aimed at company IT security officers, law enforcement, security professionals and security auditors with previous computer network experience and certification.

Taught by Steve Hailey, head of the CyberSecurity Institute, the forensics course, which runs over a period of three eight-hour days or six four-hour evenings, covers such topics as:

• Computer crime — present and future.
• Magnetic storage media fundamentals.
• Preparing to conduct a computer search.
• Forensic tools.
• Imaging floppy disks.
• Imaging hard disks.
• Restoring erased files.
• Proper handling of digital evidence.
• Proper documentation methods.

At the end of the course, students conduct a forensic investigation of a floppy disk and hard drive.

Hailey, an expert technical witness for legal matters involving computing and network technologies, said it behooves the business community to get involved with computer forensics.

“They’re going to be needing to work with law enforcement,” he said, if only to ensure that the evidence that they turn over to the authorities is well preserved.

“Folks from the public and private sectors need to work together,” Hailey added.

“Anybody who thinks that they need to protect their data should be enrolling in these classes,” Riopelle said. “If your business is sustained by the data you own, then you need to be aware that things can happen.”

For more information on the course, call 425-640-1840, send e-mail to shailey@edcc.edu or go online to www.btc.edcc.edu/ComputerForensics/.

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