Introduction

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Cyber criminals are wreacking havoc on computer systems-and are capturing front-page headlines in the bargain. It has made little difference that the Bush Administration pledged billions in additional federal funding to combat security breaches after the 9-11 terrorists attacks. The problem just keeps getting worse.

Fortunately, the computer security field is also progressing at a brisk rate. In particular, the field of computer forensics brings new ways of preserving and analyzing evidence related to cyber crime.

GROWING PROBLEM

The numbers are chilling. According to a recent industry survey, 91% of the survey respondents detected cyberattacks on their companies, and 384 organizations reported $376,690,051 in financial losses.

So what's going on? It doesn't take a computer engineer or computer scientist to learn hacking fundamentals. After spending a few nights on the Internet, high school students discover they can master hacking fundamentals by simply downloading software. Corporations and the federal government are just beginning to realize that securing their computer networks is critical. Equally frightening is that our national security has already been compromised. Colleges have finally started to offer courses and concentrations in computer security and forensics, but it remains difficult to find degree programs in these disciplines.

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