Hello everyone. I enjoy this forum and the information it provides a lot D
I have been around computers my whole life, mostly web design and Internet marketing and am looking to get into computer forensics (cyber forensics - whatever it's called) and enrolled in 2 classes at Champlain online.
My question is do you use algorithms on a day-to-day basis? Like how important is this knowledge? Obviously the thought process and everything is important and I know it's used in the industry pretty much everything about it to make a computer do things - it just seems the things I am learning are tedious and there's software out there that does this for you (or so my friend told me).
Also, do you enjoy your job? The web is full of people bashing this career saying they look at child porn all day, and talk to divorced women. I rather work for companies dealing with internal stuff. What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
Thanks for your time.
What do you mean by "use algorithms every day?" i use them every day in one form or fashion, but i am not writing code to generate MD5s every day.
if you cant explain WHAT and HOW you did something, you stand a very real chance of getting tore up on the stand.
is it fun to grind out the low level details of things? no, not always. is it necessary to start there? without a doubt!
Learning to use a forensic tool is radically different from learning forensics.
Put the effort in up front and you along with everyone else you encounter will benefit. Dont be a Nintendo forensics guy! =)
i work in law enforcement, primarily dealing with computer intrusions and child pornography. Its not for everyone and its brutal at times, but the payoff is like none other.
Rescuing one child is infinitely more valuable than just about anything else.
Thanks for your reply.
I meant like writing out algorithms everyday.
I understand what you're saying and maybe I am looking into the whole algorithm thing too much.
We're learning how to write out algorithms for mathematical things, definitions, etc. Maybe I'm just not used to it. I can definitely describe things in detail, am very organized, etc. I'm just not quite fully getting it - I get the concepts just not so much the tiny details and definitions.
Maybe I am worrying too much - the class is Introduction to Computer Science and focuses on Computer Science rather than Computer Forensics - and is my 2nd class.
Is computer science used in computer forensics as much as let's say software engineering? Some say it is - some say it's not, that's why I'm a bit concerned.
Algorithm - A process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations.
I use algorithms every day.
I use them to make my oatmeal in the morning.
I use them to decide what to pack for lunch.
I use them to select my path to work.
I use them to chose what tasks to do first when I arrive at work.
I use them to generate new passwords for expired accounts.
I use them to decide if I eat my lunch I brought or go out with the team.
And, these are just the ones I do in my head.
Algorithms are everywhere.
mrgreen
You are worrying about these things without it seems the basic knowledge required to analyse the issues. Come back after you've done your CF classes.
Yes Patrick, I just started the first class in my computer forensics program - so most likely I do lack that knowledge.
Hello there cterterian,
I'm currently enrolling in my Degree studies that related to computer forensic area. And I had to said the use of algorithms will involve in this field, as far what I've learned involved the use of numbering systems, logic approach in order to determine the computer languages and it's message to convey within the communication.
D
We're learning how to write out algorithms for mathematical things, definitions, etc.
The algorithms you will come in contact with will be embedded into software and you use them by clicking a button and sometimes entering variables (often search criterias).
Learning how a specific algorithm works seems like a waste of time, unless you are going to write your own software. It is good to have a working understanding of how a recursive algorithm can be used to search through a folder with subfolders, but learning how to write one - not so much.
(Sometimes i wonder if any of these teachers that train students in forensics ever have worked in the field or have been hired based upon their CSI-watching habits)
Thank you everyone for your information. I do understand the basic premise and certain algorithms - at this point we're learning about binary search algorithm and sequential search algorithm. Seems like everything is more or less built into the software.
Back to my original comment. Algorithms are everywhere.
I use binary search, to be more precise binary sort in management.
Ever get into a meeting where everyone has an agenda, and all think theirs is the highest importance?
Sorting them form most to least important is excruciating and fraught with a lot of political turmoil. This becomes super complicated when the number is over five or six.
Yet, if you know binary sort, you have a faster way to resolve the problem.
First, list all the items - be it objectives, words to use in a motto, where to go to lunch, whom to hire for that intern position, etc.
Then… Build a binary tree, by comparing individual elements. Then list. Done. At the end, no one can complain, as they all agreed to the list…
At first it feels ackward for everyone, but the reality is that we can compare two items much better than 7 simultaneously.
Algorithm outside of computers. In your head.