Hello,
I am currently an audio engineer with 20+ years of experience, but looking to transition out of it and go into computer forensic work. I'm just beginning to learn about computer forensics and I find it fascinating. I'm looking to take the CCE Bootcamp classes, and perhaps get another certification if I can, depending on where I want to go in the field.
I have substantial experience in dealing with the preservation and restoration of old, obsolete, and/or damaged audio recordings, and have done work for DoD, the 9/11 Commission, and various other government agencies, public & private institutions, etc. I'm already familiar with Chain of Custody procedures, and things like that.
My question is, is there some area of digital forensics that would also draw upon my skills with magnetic media or as an audio engineer? Audio Forensics for LE in itself does NOT interest me – I couldn't listen to recordings of murders for the rest of my life.
And how relevant or valuable would my past experience be to a future employer? Just wondering if I'd be starting at the very bottom.
TIA
Hello,
I do Audio and Computer forensics, and I don't see the correlation you are trying to make.
I've always done both so I didn't pick up one after knowing one, but I can also say that besides the COC you mentioned AF work has no tie ins with CF work.
In AF work you are doing a print, enhancement, or a diarisation, and short of a report that's it. However, in CF work it's an investigation from day one, and your skillset needs to be much broader.
Past experience with AF will help from the standpoint that you already know it's an incredibly small community. While CF people can bicker on who is the best, AF people know there really is only one guy and when he quits doing it it will be hard to replace his knowledge.
There are tons of posts about getting started, but mainly start with costs, will you be able to make the investment in software if you go private, if you go to a private company will you be willing to just image hard drives for a year or two while building up experience. Plus the market is still saturated and more and more new CF people are coming out each day applying for that same job you are looking for.
If you've testified before about AF then you are also a leg up on CF things, because you know what to expect. I mean cmon if you can explain pitch differentiation to a judge or jury and get them to understand it, you can explain file slack and freespace to a judge or jury.
IMHO I don't believe a CCE bootcamp will be enough. I would follow that up by choosing one of the 3 major tools FTK, ENcase, Paraben, and take all their classes and get their cert. Now (unfortunately not previously) you can get a pass to take all the classes in one year and you will be out the time (if you do it at home via web) or driving and hotel if you go in person)
The CCE with 5 FTK, 6 Encase, or 4 Paraben classes will get you going.
Also consider do you want to do cell phone work or CF work, there is gradually becoming a bigger divide between the two disciplines and while some say they do both I think that you really can't be an expert in both. I think that you can be a CF expert and good in cellphone forensics, or an expert in cellphone forensics and good in CF, but I've yet to see or hear about someone who blew off the doors in both.
Sorry for the long post, hope I put something worthwhile in there for ya.
I will be happy to help however I can.
Thanks very much armresl. Much appreciated, and much to think about. Honestly, I didn't think there'd be anything I could relate between the two fields but I figured I'd put it out there anyway. I didn't go into audio forensics, but rather audio restoration and preservation. Some of the same tools, but for different purposes.
I know AF is a very small community. I assume Tom Owen is the man you were referring to? Practically speaking, I don't know that going into AF is a wise move for me right now. I'm already coming from a pretty narrow subgroup.
I don't mind starting out at the bottom, although I'd prefer to have a leg up on the competition somehow. I'm not fooled that one CCE certification is going to win me The Gig. But your comments about cellphone forensics is intriguing. I imagine this is specialized training, separate from most CF classes? Is there a special cert for this?
Thanks again. PM me if you'd prefer.