BRIEF HISTORY OF DIGITAL FORENSICS
Digital forensics is nearly 40 years old, beginning in the late
1970s as a response to a demand for service from the law
enforcement community (see figure 1). Most of the first
criminal cases that involved computers were for financial
fraud.2
In the 1980s, digital forensics training courses were
developed by organizations such as the Association of
Certified Fraud Examiners, the National Consortium for
Justice Information and Statistics, and the High Technology
Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA); the first digital
forensics company, Access Data, was formed; and the
International Association of Computer Investigative
Specialists (IACIS) was formed.3
Today, students can earn
a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Forensics and
Digital Investigations