Digital Forensics is Hot New Field

David Burris speaks to an FBI gathering on digital forensics, a new SHSU program that begins this fall.

Sam Houston State University's new Center of Excellence in Digital Forensics, which will train students and law enforcement personnel in the latest technology for preventing cyber crime, will be ready this fall.

Combined with new degrees being offered in forensics, the facility will provide real-life training for working with "cell phones, disks, and hard drives," said David Burris, a professor of computer science.

Burris, has close ties to InfraGard, a program created by the FBI to link together businesses, schools, and law enforcement agencies to prevent criminal acts against the U.S. He recently gave a presentation to FBI officials, who need help from higher education.

"Right now, the shortage is so great, they don't know how to cope," said Burris. "That's why the FBI formed InfraGard, to encourage agencies to train people."

Burris said the average company was broken into three times last year. With the break-ins typically costing $45 million and the average electronic theft bringing in $20 million, companies are willing to pay good salaries to prevent the crimes. In this field, people just starting out can earn around $50-60,000 a year, Burris said, with increases to about $150,000 in just three or four years.

Burris mentioned some recent criminal cases involving digital forensics.

U.S. House of Representatives' and Senators' banking account information was hacked, an AOL employee sold account information, and some commercial flight reservations in major airline carriers' computers were interfered with.

Burris pointed out that terrorists could even meddle with air traffic control. Cnet.com, among other sites, theorized that medical prescriptions and gas lines could be potential targets.

In educating students about digital forensics, there are several subjects that will be included in SHSU's new program: prevention, capture, and prosecution. Each technician will need to know how to get evidence, preserve it, and use it in court.

"This goes way beyond the stuff you see on CSI," said Burris.

He would like to see students interested in forensics also take classes in chemistry, biology, geology, geography, even entymology, and law, because in forensics, it is all related.

Computer crime is so new and growing so quickly, law enforcement can't keep up with the new technology. Burris said more than 100 new viruses are written every day. Even home computers are attacked repeatedly each day. It can take months for companies or individuals to realize an attack has occurred, and once people are aware, it takes even longer for virus updates to be posted online.

Once an attack is detected, even the legal system is outmoded in its ability to deal with the offenders. The new hacker is not the stereotypical "genius teenager," but a professional defrauder or even terrorist.

Because the demand is so great, "it's a tremendous job market," said Burris. The undergraduate degree in digital forensics will be available for the upcoming fall semester, with a graduate degree available in spring 2006.

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SHSU Media Contact: Kelly Jakubowski
March 9, 2005
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