Digital Investigation as a distinct discipline: A pedagogic perspective

Is Digital Investigation sufficiently different in character from existing academic disciplines such as Computer or Forensic Science to be called a distinct discipline? Is it a profession in its own right? The authors outline why the debate is a significant one in terms of its consequences for professional standards, quality control, academic and personal accreditation. The paper emphasises the differences in the way we teach digital investigations in comparison to computer science covering theory, practice, the education versus training debate, the interdisciplinary nature of the subject, a problem solving and problem based approach, and the need to emphasis professionalism and ethics. The arguments for four alternative positions are proposed: Digital Investigation as a branch of Computer Science, Digital Investigation as a branch of Forensic Science, Digital Investigation as an inter-disciplinary science and Digital Investigation as a distinct discipline. The experience gained in the development and delivery of three typical academic programmes in the area is used to support one position, namely that Digital Investigation is a distinct discipline that merits professional status.

[1]  Eoghan Casey,et al.  Digital Evidence and Computer Crime , 2000 .

[2]  P. Stephens.  Cybercrime training versus computer forensics education , 2007 .

[3]  Mark Pollitt,et al.  Computer Forensics Education , 2003, IEEE Secur. Priv..

[4]  Louise L. Soe,et al.  Establishing network computer forensics classes , 2004, InfoSecCD '04.

[5]  Nancy G. Leveson,et al.  Should software engineers be licensed? , 2002, CACM.

[6]  Eoghan Casey,et al.  Digital Evidence and Computer Crime - Forensic Science, Computers and the Internet, 3rd Edition , 2011 .

[7]  Sue Fitzgerald,et al.  Computer forensics programs in higher education: a preliminary study , 2005 .

[8]  Rebecca T. Mercuri.  Challenges in forensic computing , 2005, CACM.

[9]  Marcus K. Rogers,et al.  The future of computer forensics: a needs analysis survey , 2004, Comput. Secur..

[10]  Robert Slade.  Software Forensics : Collecting Evidence from the Scene of a Digital Crime , 2004 .

[11]  Felix C. Freiling,et al.  Teaching Data Security at University Degree Level , 2005 .

[12]  Peter Cooper,et al.  Speciation in the computing sciences: digital forensics as an emerging academic discipline , 2005, InfoSecCD '05.

[13]  Hal Berghel.  The discipline of Internet forensics , 2003, CACM.

[14]  Donald J. Bagert.  Texas licensing of software engineers: all's quiet, for now , 2002, CACM.

[15]  Yin Pan,et al.  Forensic course development , 2003, CITC4 '03.

[16]  Rodney McKemmish,et al.  What is forensic computing , 1999 .

[17]  Robert Jones.  Internet Forensics , 2005 .