Dusting For Digital Fingerprints
The Age
Saturday June 25, 2005
Timothy Toholka, 23, has enrolled in a computer crime investigation course. He speaks to the head of Deloitte's computer forensics team, Graeme Conn, about a career on the hunt.
TIMOTHY: Last year, I completed my bachelor degree in computing, majoring in multimedia, at Deakin University. Prior to that I deferred uni for a year and worked full-time in technical support at (internet company) iPrimus. My mother works in a similar area to you and would come home from work telling me she got to dissect hard drives for forensics. That got me inspired, so I signed up for Holmesglen TAFE's new graduate certificate in computer crime investigation, which is offered part time over one year and delivered by experts from Victoria Police's computer crime squad. Melbourne Uni offers a course in this area, too. GRAEME: I had spent most of my career years in the police force - the last four of which were with the computer crime squad conducting investigations into technology crimes. I'd been playing with computers for years before that. Six years ago, I was lured to the private sector. I started off in another big-four accounting firm and moved across to Deloitte about 18 months ago. We work on everything from high-profile corporate collapses to fraud cases in small organisations. TIMOTHY: By my understanding, computer forensics involves retrieving information from computer storage media and analysing it so that it can be used to help legal proceedings. GRAEME: And that's the approach you constantly have to take: everything we do could end up being scrutinised in court. TIMOTHY: While forensics has been around for a few centuries, computer forensics started in the early '80s. What has generated the increased awareness?GRAEME: This form of forensics is definitely a product of the technology age and people's adoption of IT, but the principles of forensics remain the same. There's been a huge increase in jobs since I started and while that sounds serious, I think it's more a result of people becoming more aware of issues such as hacking, infections and fraud. TIMOTHY: Forensic computing is pretty broad now. Which areas is it most applicable to?GRAEME: Working in the police force, fraud was a small percentage of what we investigated. I applied computer forensics to the whole gamut of traditional crimes, from homicides to armed robberies. The corporate sector isn't as diverse, but it's similar. Here we come across HR issues, fraud, espionage - anything that involves technology and people. We also get involved in litigation support where companies are trying to find information from up to 10 years ago.TIMOTHY: Is corporate work more interesting than police work?GRAEME: Both have kept me entertained. A lot of the techniques and tools in the corporate area are the same as those used in the computer crime squad. TIMOTHY: What attributes do you need to be a computer forensic expert? GRAEME: Having an inquisitive mind is a great start. Computer forensics requires a mix of investigative skills and a broad, sound knowledge of computer-related technology. You can never look at the data you find, accept it and move on; you have to be willing to challenge the data and uncover it to get results. You're constantly developing your skills and having to keep up with the rapidly evolving IT industry. Doing a course in computer crime investigation, like the one you're about to start, is an excellent idea. At Deloitte, we work in groups with skills that complement each other. I work with a guy who has a PhD in computer science. While my investigative skills outweigh his, his knowledge of the technology is outstanding. TIMOTHY: What about when it comes to appearing in court?GRAEME: You're there to give evidence and facts, which, to some degree, is quite easy because that's what you're working with all the time. You need to be a good public speaker. TIMOTHY: What opportunities are available to a person with all these skills?GRAEME: As well as outsourcing, which is what we do, some companies recruit for in-house positions. To get into the Victoria Police computer crime squad, which has 10 members, you need to become a sworn member of Victoria Police and work your way up. The Australian Federal Police also has a computer forensic team. Government agencies have also become good employers of specialists as their awareness of computer crime increases. TIMOTHY: What are the positive and negative aspects of working in this field?GRAEME: Long hours tend to creep in and it's not a job that allows for the usual 9am-5pm day, nor a planned year. This is a reactionary job - you never know when someone is going to commit a crime. You might go from having no work to having so much work that you can barely cope. There are a lot of boring times, too, like sitting there doing computer imaging at 2am in a strange office environment. The positives are the successes: there are headlines in the papers every few weeks about the outcome of investigations which we might have been part of.
© 2005 The Age
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