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brief history of
computer Forensics
In 1988, Michael Anderson (known to some as the father of computer
forensics), a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service, assembled a group
of computer specialists in Portland, Oregon. These specialists IRS special
agents Robert Kelso (Oklahoma City), Jerry Pierce (Eugene, Oregon), Dave
Messinger (Denver, Colorado), Andrew Fried (Washington, DC), Chuck Rehling (FLETC),
an attorney from US Attorney's office in Seattle, Washington, Tom Walters (Canadian Department of Revenue),
Tom Travis, IRS automation team.
This group of people met with representatives from Paul Mace (Mace Utilities),
Central Pointe Software, and Peter Norton Utilities, the then three leading
companies involved with data recovery (all three later becoming part of Symantic).
Out of these meetings developed the first Seized Computer Evidence Recovery
Specialists (SCERS) classes held in 1988 and 1989 at the federal law enforcement
training center (FLETC) in Brunswick, Georgia and the creation of IACIS, the
International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists.
These classes, with the joint cooperation of the Canadian Department of Revenue,
developed into the CIS (computer investigative speciailist) program also held at
FLETC in 1993 and 1995. This program was further expanded by efforts of the IRS
to include all US Treasury agencies, and in 1998, the first comprehensive
training classes of Secret Service, IRS, US Customs, and Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms (ATF) met at FLETC.
In the meantime, other agencies were developing their expertise, including
National White Collar Crime, Air Force OSI, the FBI, and FLECT's FFI (Financial
Fraud Institute).
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