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Do's and don'ts of building a forensics workstation
This article is part of the Information Security magazine issue of April 2002
Some months ago, I survived yet another round of layoffs at a struggling dot-com. With the writing so clearly on the wall, I decided it was time to pick up new skills. My interest in infosecurity drew me to computer forensics. A firm believer in hands-on learning, I set out to build a forensics workstation from the desktop up and to learn as much as possible about what makes a "best-of-breed" station. With little experience in such a project, I turned to the forensics list on SecurityFocus. Armed with advice from the list, I set about building my box. Building a workstation from scratch has some distinct advantages, not the least of which is ensuring that you have all the right hardware and software. However, as a practical matter, I opted to take an existing box -- I had a bunch of reasonably fast Dells at my disposal -- and modify it. Typical add-ons for forensics systems include a read-write CD drive, a tape drive, extra memory and removable drive bays. IDE drives are most common, but a SCSI controller can come in handy for ...
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Features in this issue
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How to ease password security problems
Learn how self-service reset and password synchronization products are a new and cost-effective solution for easing enterprise password security problems.
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Building blocks of an identity management system
Learn best practices for securing an identity management system for users inside and outside of the organization without reducing security effectiveness.
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Becky Bace: The IDS security den mother
Former NSA employee and "den mother of computer security" Becky Base built an impressive and successful career that has undeniably influenced the industry.
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Four computer forensics books worth investigating
Check out four computer forensics books that can help you learn the ins and outs of computer forensics technology and laws in place to manage cybercrime.
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How a computer forensics investigation put two behind bars
A computer forensics investigation lead by a computer-savvy investigator followed a network trail from a murder probe to a digital trove of child pornography.
Columns in this issue
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Information security buzz: What isn't intrusion prevention?
Although a broad term, the information security buzzword 'intrusion prevention' performs a valuable service for enterprises and is exciting vendors.
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Can information security surveys be trusted?
Information security surveys aren't always reliable due to biased respondents and poorly selected subjects, which can lead to misleading results.
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Secure reads: Wireless Security
Wireless Security offers a detailed overview of wireless security topics and covers big-picture characteristics of today's wireless security technologies.