The Most Famous Computer Forensics Cases

Computer forensics plays a role in prosecuting and solving many different types of criminal cases. This overview of a couple of the most famous computer forensics cases illustrates the power of this field and how choosing this career path can lead to an interesting future and reward future. It also shows just how valuable professionals in this field are to law enforcement agencies and victims alike.




The BTK Serial Killer

For more than thirty years, the case of the BTK serial killer in Kansas remained unsolved. In 2005 the murderer, with a history of sending taunting letters to police, sent a floppy disk to police with a word document on it. Computer forensics professionals went to work examining the disk, and this is when the big break in the case finally happened.
Computer forensics examiners recovered a file that had been deleted, and data attached to this file revealed who had been the last person to modify the document. After more than thirty years of traditional investigation, this case went unsolved. One floppy disc and the expertise of computer forensics experts, and this case was finally solved. The police and the prosecuting attorney had the evidence to put this dangerous serial killer behind bars.


The Case of Scott William Tyree

This case involves a different type of crime. In this case Scott William Tyree met a young girl in an Internet chat room, and later abducted her to engage in sexual acts. Computer forensics examiners used information on the young girl's computer to track her down and bring her home safely.
Internet chat logs were retrieved, and, eventually, using the information from the chat logs and information from an anonymous tipster, the name and address of the Scott William Tyree was retrieved based on his Internet screen name.
After the girl was found and Tyree was taken into custody, Tyree's computer was seized and the information found on it was very valuable to prosecutor's working on the case. In this case computer forensics played a role in helping police find the girl and bring her home safely, and building a case against Scott William Tyree.
Computer forensics professionals can work in law enforcement but also in the private sector, detecting and thwarting computer attacks and helping to strengthen network security. It can be an interesting, rewarding careers for those with the technical aptitude, determination, and attention to detail to solve crimes and prevent attacks.



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