Cybercrime continues to rise at an alarming rate. Cyber attackers are always evolving and making it more difficult for law enforcement and corporate investigators to solve the case. A-B Tech Community College is bridging the gap between traditional criminal investigations and cyber/computer investigations with its new Cyber Forensics Certificate debuting with the fall semester.
“In the case of cyber-crimes, high profile cases like the recent ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline and the ransomware attack at Central Piedmont Community College February of 2021 illustrate the growing problem,” said Peter Kennedy, Chair of the Computer Technologies department at A-B Tech.
Cyber forensics (also known as computer forensics) involves the investigation of crimes through digital forensic techniques. In the Cyber Forensic Analysts Certificate, students will learn the latest computer tools used by law enforcement agents and other cyber forensic professionals that facilitate electronic data extraction for legal purposes.
“We aren’t just talking about cyber-crimes,” Kennedy said. “It’s hard to imagine any crime being committed where there isn’t digital evidence on the perpetrator’s phone. Maybe it’s a GPS location showing the criminal was near the crime scene at a certain time or an incriminating text message. Maybe it’s a picture or video showing evidence of a crime. Whatever it is, cyber forensic analysts must be prepared to discover, collect, and preserve the digital information for investigation and analysis.”
Computers, cell phones, and other mobile devices have an ever-increasing role in criminal activity. “As such, computer professionals trained in electronic data storage retrieval and extraction are in high demand. The need will only increase as technology continually shifts and criminals work to stay ahead of authorities and leverage technology to their advantage,” said Kennedy.
For more information, visit abtech.edu/register.