Computer Forensics: Computer Crime Scene Investigation (Networking Series) (Paperback)

by John R. Vacca (Author) "Electronic evidence and information gathering have become central issues in an increasing number of conflicts and crimes..." (more)
Key Phrases: cyber masses, computer forensics team, computer forensics technology, United States, New York, Prentice Hall (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The mightiest fortresses in the world can fail, and when that happens all you can do (you being the person responsible for castle security) is figure out what went wrong, what damage was done, and by whom. If the castle was located in the right kind of kingdom--to take a metaphor too far--you can hope to prosecute the perpetrator. Computer Forensics: Computer Crime Scene Investigation explains how to gather evidence of computer crimes in such a way that it will be more likely to lead to a conviction in a criminal court. It's an interesting legal area--after all, it's almost always you, and not any law enforcement agency doing the surveillance and evidence-gathering on your computer systems--and John Vacca has done a fair bit of research. This book will probably expand your thinking on the subject of information security.

On the other hand, though Vacca gives good general advice (don't lose volatile information by shutting a compromised machine down midattack; do be prepared to translate memory dumps into jury-readable form), he sometimes meanders into generalizations and irrelevancies. The fact that terrorists distribute their plans via public Web sites is certainly scary, but hardly helpful to someone wanting to prosecute the guy who vandalized the corporate Web site. Similarly interesting, but practically irrelevant to most of us, are discussions of high-energy radio frequency (HERF) and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons that can knock out information systems from a distance. More focus on evidence collection in organizational computing environments would make this book useful, rather than just generally informative. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to gather evidence of a hack attack after the fact, and a lot of general-interest information on the state of crime and law enforcement in computer technology. Coverage is almost all general in nature, dealing with how to formulate a strategy and deal with events without getting into details of any operating system or computing environment. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
The Most Comprehensive, Up-to-Date, Reference on Computer Forensics! Using personal computers as their weapons, hackers and criminals (some only 11 years old) have attacked the Internet, government agencies, financial companies, small businesses, and the credit card accounts of unsuspecting individuals. This completely updated book/CD package provides a complete overview of computer forensics from information security issues to "crime scene investigation," seizure of data, determining the "fingerprints" of the crime, and tracking down the criminals. The book’s companion CD-ROM contains demos of the latest computer forensics software. Numerous exercises, case studies, and vignettes of actual crimes enhance the topics under discussion, and provide the reader with solutions to computer crime in the real world.

KEY FEATURES • Comprehensive overview of the subject from information security issues to data recovery techniques to auditing methods to terrorist cyber-attacks • Includes Evidence Identifi cation and Checklist forms, hands-on projects, exercises, and case studies for each chapter • CD includes tools, presentations, and demos of the latest computer forensics software • Selected topics include: Computer Forensics Fundamentals; Data Recovery; Evidence Collection and Data Seizure; Computer Image Verifi cation; Duplication and Preservation of Digital Evidence; Electronic Evidence Reconstructing Past Events; Deterrence through Attacker ID; Destruction of e-mail; Networks; Protection against Random Terrorist Information Warfare Tactics; The Cyber Foot Print and Criminal Tracking; The Individual Exposed; Advanced Encryption & Hacking; Case Studies and Vignettes; Evidence Checklists and Forms

On the CD-ROM (See Appendix G for Details) Includes a collection of forensic tools, demonstrations, docs, product presentations, and figures from the book. Topics and demos include: analysis tools, data recovery, forensic examination checklists, instant messenger issues, litigation, forensic training and certification information, case profiles, and more

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS The third party software contained on the CD-ROM runs on a variety of platforms and operating systems. Please consult Appendix G for more details, and especially Web site information for specific requirements, updates, etc. Minimum system requirements for all of these software products include Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or higher, Windows 2000, XP; an Internet connection; some also require basic hardware such as Firewire, USB Devices, Zip, Jaz, Floppy Diskettes, or hard disk drives (IDE, EIDE, SCSI, ATA, SATA).

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Product Details

• Paperback: 832 pages
• Publisher: Charles River Media; 2 edition (May 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584503890
• ISBN-13: 978-1584503897
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #206,656 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed by the content, July 17, 2002

By	"shanahan_" (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Computer Forensics: Computer Crime Scene Investigation (With CD-ROM) (Networking Series) (Paperback)

When I started this book I figured it would be on forensic analysis, data recovery and court presentation. The subject matter, however, tends to be more in tune with scare tactics, information warfare and a review of the author's previous work. The cd of "forensic software" doesn't match the content either. Several of the packages on the cd are interesting, useful and even well known, however the book doesn't go into detail regarding their use. In my opinion, I would recommend the book by Heiser and Kruse as a better choice for those looking for a complete book on the subject of computer forensics.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Huge Disappointment: Little-to-No Technical Content, July 17, 2002

By	Andrew Smith (Lafayette, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Computer Forensics: Computer Crime Scene Investigation (With CD-ROM) (Networking Series) (Paperback)

The first 250 or so pages provide a decent (at best) high-level description of Computer Forensics, but the next 300 pages have little to do with computer crime investigations. It seems as if this book should really be two books: the first book would provide a good overview of computer forensics for those who are not very technical, and the second book (larger book) would be on Information Warfare. If you are looking for a decent book on forensic computing, with a lot of technical meat, this is NOT your book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay but I was disappointed, January 12, 2007

By	stingray (Covina, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Computer Forensics: Computer Crime Scene Investigation (With CD-ROM) (Networking Series) (Paperback)

I was real excited when I saw this book that looked like the bible of computer forensics and it came with a DVD. The cost of 50 dollars made it expensive but with DVD that I hope would have video that I can watch.

THe book is okay in giving a general idea of computer forensics. It was not very specific in what to do. It has an interactive part in which it give you general answer too not very thorough.

Then, it goes on a tangent about warfare and cyber terrorism. It leaves the forensics behind. And the book goes over 700 pages.

The DVd is intro to some fornesics software, I was hoping it had video
to show people like me that are visual and can learn more this way.

So, the book is okay but I would check others that are more specific and give more thorough details about computer forensics.