Infocomm TechnologyISCO 2529
Digital forensics expert
Digital forensics experts retrieve and analyse information from computers and other types of data storage devices. They examine digital media that may have been hidden, encrypted or damaged, in a forensic manner with the aim to identify, preserve, recover, analyse and present facts and opinions about the digital information.
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Rate 5 of the 38 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
digital data processing
manage IT security compliances
gather data for forensic purposes
establish an ICT security prevention plan
provide ICT consulting advice
About digital forensics expert
As a digital forensics expert, you will work at the intersection of technology and law enforcement, recovering and analyzing digital evidence that can be crucial to investigations and legal proceedings. Your expertise involves extracting data from computers, mobile devices, and storage media while maintaining chain-of-custody protocols and ensuring evidence integrity. You examine data that may be hidden, encrypted, or deliberately damaged, using specialized tools and methodologies to uncover the truth. Your work might support criminal investigations, cybersecurity breach analyses, intellectual property disputes, or corporate incident response. The role demands meticulous attention to detail, strong technical knowledge of operating systems and networks, and understanding of legal frameworks like GDPR. With cybercrime and digital incidents rising in Poland and across Europe, skilled digital forensics experts are increasingly in demand by law enforcement, government agencies, and private cybersecurity firms.
Key Work Functions
Core areas of responsibility for a digital forensics expert.
1
Digital Evidence Recovery and Acquisition
- Acquire digital data from computers, mobile devices, and storage media using forensically sound methods
- Retrieve hidden, encrypted, or damaged data while preserving evidence integrity
- Document acquisition procedures and maintain chain of custody for all evidence
2
Forensic Analysis and Examination
- Analyze digital media to identify, recover, and examine relevant data and artifacts
- Investigate file systems, registry entries, and metadata to trace user activities and intentions
- Apply specialized tools for data carving, pattern recognition, and timeline analysis
3
Cyber Security and Risk Assessment
- Identify ICT network security risks and vulnerabilities related to the incident
- Analyze attack vectors and implement cyber attack counter-measures during investigations
- Check forensic methods for compliance with ICT security standards
4
Report Writing and Expert Testimony
- Create detailed forensic examination reports documenting findings, analysis, and conclusions
- Prepare expert analysis and opinions suitable for legal proceedings and court presentation
- Communicate technical findings to non-technical stakeholders and legal professionals
5
Compliance and Security Standards
- Ensure all forensic procedures comply with GDPR and ICT security legislation
- Maintain information confidentiality and apply proper data protection principles
- Stay current with regulatory requirements and emerging legal frameworks
Do You Have the Skills for This Role?
Core competency requirements inferred from the occupation's skill profile. Take the free assessment to see how you match.
Must-Have Skills (Advanced)
Problem SolvingAdvanced
Digital FluencyAdvanced
Supporting Skills
Sense MakingIntermediate
Self ManagementIntermediate
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (38)
digital data processingdigital data processingIdentify, locate, retrieve, store, organise and analyse digital information, judging its relevance and purpose.computer forensicscomputer forensicsThe process of examining and recovering digital data from sources for legal evidence and crime investigation.check methodscheck methodsProcedures used for investigative purposes such as surveillance by physical and electronic means, interrogations of witnesses, collection of objects and data for assessment and analysis and physical a...ICT network security risksICT network security risksThe security risk factors, such as hardware and software components, devices, interfaces and policies in ICT networks, risk assessment techniques that can be applied to assess the severity and the con...ICT security standardsICT security standardsBest practices and guidelines established for securing information and communication technology (ICT) systems and data. Standards as is the case of ISO 27000 series, provide a framework for implementi...attack vectorsattack vectorsPaths or methods that threat actors use to exploit vulnerabilities in information networks or systems from a concrete organisation and impact its availability, integrity and confidentiality. Attack ve...cyber attack counter-measurescyber attack counter-measuresMethods, technologies and techniques used to defend (detect, monitor and recover) against cyber attacks. These cyber attacks include several attack vectors such as malware, denial of service (DoS) att...audit techniquesaudit techniquesThe techniques and methods that support a systematic and independent examination of data, policies, operations and performances using computer-assisted audit tools and techniques (CAATs) such as sprea...security engineeringsecurity engineeringInterdisciplinary field of study that focuses on the realisation of secure systems and the technology to protect individuals or information from malice, errors, or unauthorized access. It involves def...tools for ICT test automationtools for ICT test automationThe specialised software to execute or control tests and compare predicted testing outputs with actual testing results such as Selenium, QTP and LoadRunner.ICT security legislationICT security legislationThe set of legislative rules that safeguards information technology, ICT networks and computer systems and legal consequences which result from their misuse. Regulated measures include firewalls, intr...cyber securitycyber securityThe methods and best practices that protect ICT systems, networks, computers, devices, services, processes and people against unauthorised access, modification and/or denial of service of assets.levels of software testinglevels of software testingThe levels of testing in the software development process, such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing and acceptance testing.forensic intelligenceforensic intelligenceThe procedures and methodology of gathering and analysing forensic intelligence and data for investigative purposes.resource description framework query languageresource description framework query languageThe query languages such as SPARQL which are used to retrieve and manipulate data stored in Resource Description Framework format (RDF).information confidentialityinformation confidentialityThe mechanisms and regulations which allow for selective access control and guarantee that only authorised parties (people, processes, systems and devices) have access to data, the way to comply with ...ICT infrastructureICT infrastructureThe system, network, hardware and software applications and components, as well as devices and processes that are used in order to develop, test, deliver, monitor, control or support ICT services.GDPRGDPRThe General Data Protection Regulation is the EU regulation on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.penetration testing toolpenetration testing toolThe specialised ICT tools which test security weaknesses of the system for potentially unauthorised access to system information such as Metasploit, Burp suite and Webinspect.operating systemsoperating systemsThe features, restrictions, architectures and other characteristics of operating systems such Linux, Windows, MacOS, etc.manage IT security compliancesmanage IT security compliancesGuide application and fulfilment of relevant industry standards, best practices and legal requirements for information security.gather data for forensic purposesgather data for forensic purposesCollect protected, fragmented or corrupted data and other online communication. Document and present findings from this process.establish an ICT security prevention planestablish an ICT security prevention planDefine a comprehensive and proactive strategy for managing information and communication technology (ICT) security risks by establishing a set of measures and responsibilities to ensure the confidenti...provide ICT consulting adviceprovide ICT consulting adviceAdvise on appropriate solutions in the field of ICT by selecting alternatives and optimising decisions while taking into account potential risks, benefits and overall impact to professional customers.perform forensic preservations of digital devicesperform forensic preservations of digital devicesPreserve integrity of ICT devices, such as laptops, desktops and other digital media, by storing them physically and using software such as PTK Forensics and EnCase to retrieve, store and trace digita...present evidencepresent evidencePresent evidence in a criminal or civil case to others, in a convincing and appropriate manner, in order to reach the right or most beneficial solution.develop information security strategydevelop information security strategyCreate company strategy related to the safety and security of information in order to maximise information integrity, availability and data privacy.use software for data preservationuse software for data preservationUtilise specialised applications and software to collect and preserve digital information.use technology for forensicsuse technology for forensicsOperate specialised tools used for forensic investigations.use scripting programminguse scripting programmingUtilise specialised ICT tools to create computer code that is interpreted by the corresponding run-time environments in order to extend applications and automate common computer operations. Use progra...educate on data confidentialityeducate on data confidentialityShare information with and instruct users in the risks involved with data, especially risks to the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of data. Educate them on how to ensure data protection.apply reverse engineeringapply reverse engineeringUse techniques to extract information or disassemble an ICT component, software or system in order to analyse, correct and reassemble or reproduce it.manage data for legal mattersmanage data for legal mattersCollect, organise and prepare data for analysis and review during investigation, regulatory filings and other legal processes.implement ICT network diagnostic toolsimplement ICT network diagnostic toolsUse software tools or components that monitor ICT network parameters, such as performance and throughput, provide data and statistics, diagnose errors, failures or bottlenecks and support decision mak...identify ICT system weaknessesidentify ICT system weaknessesAnalyse the system and network architecture, hardware and software components and data in order to identify weaknesses and vulnerability to intrusions or attacks. Execute diagnostic operations on cybe...secure sensitive customer's informationsecure sensitive customer's informationSelect and apply security measures and regulations related to sensitive customer information with the aim of protecting their privacy.perform ICT security testingperform ICT security testingExecute types of security testing, such as network penetration testing, wireless testing, code reviews, wireless and/or firewall assessments in accordance with industry-accepted methods and protocols ...identify ICT security risksidentify ICT security risksApply methods and techniques to identify potential security threats, security breaches and risk factors using ICT tools for surveying ICT systems, analysing risks, vulnerabilities and threats and eval...
Optional (34) — show
Cain and Abel (penetration testing tool)Cain and Abel (penetration testing tool)The software tool Cain and Abel is a password recovery tool which tests the Microsoft Operating System for security weaknesses and potentially unauthorised access to system information. The tool decod...hardware platformshardware platformsThe characteristics of the hardware configuration required to process the applications software product.OWASP ZAPOWASP ZAPThe integrated testing tool OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is a specialised tool which tests web applications security weaknesses, replying on an automated scanner and a REST API.NessusNessusThe computer program Nessus is a specialised ICT tool which tests security weaknesses of the system for potentially unauthorised access to system information, developed by the software company Tenable...XQueryXQueryThe computer language XQuery is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the international standards organis...MetasploitMetasploitThe framework Metasploit is a penetration testing tool which tests security weaknesses of the system for potentially unauthorised access to system information. The tool is based on the concept of 'exp...Aircrack (penetration testing tool)Aircrack (penetration testing tool)The computer program Aircrack is a cracking program which recovers 802.11 WEP and WPA-PSK keys by making several network attacks such as FMS, KoreK and PTW attacks.Backbox (penetration testing tool)Backbox (penetration testing tool)The software BackBox is a Linux distribution which tests security weaknesses of the system for potentially unauthorised access to system information by information gathering, forensic, wireless and Vo...SPARQLSPARQLThe computer language SPARQL is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the international standards organis...Kali LinuxKali LinuxThe Kali Linux tool is a penetration testing tool which tests security weaknesses of the systems for potentially unauthorised access to system information by information gathering, vulnerability analy...John The Ripper (penetration testing tool)John The Ripper (penetration testing tool)The tool John the Ripper is a password recovery tool which tests security weaknesses of the systems for potentially unauthorised access to system information. The key features of this tool are the str...BlackArchBlackArchThe BlackArch Linux distribution is a penetration testing tool which tests security weaknesses of the system for potentially unauthorised access to system information.WiresharkWiresharkThe Wireshark tool is a penetration testing tool which evaluates security weaknesses, analysing network protocols through deep protocol inspection, live capture, display filters, offline analysis, VoI...LDAPLDAPThe computer language LDAP is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information.data storagedata storageThe physical and technical concepts of how digital data storage is organised in specific schemes both locally, such as hard-drives and random-access memories (RAM) and remotely, via network, internet ...legal requirements of ICT productslegal requirements of ICT productsThe international regulations related to the development and use of ICT products.Parrot Security OSParrot Security OSThe operating system Parrot Security is a Linux distribution which performs penetration cloud testing, analysing security weaknesses for potentially unauthorised access.Samurai Web Testing FrameworkSamurai Web Testing FrameworkThe linux environment Samurai Web Testing Framework is a specialised penetration testing tool which tests security weaknesses of websites for potentially unauthorised access.LINQLINQThe computer language LINQ is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Microsoft.ICT encryptionICT encryptionThe conversion of electronic data into a format which is readable only by authorized parties which use key encryption techniques, such as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Secure Socket Layer (SSL).hardware architectureshardware architecturesThe designs laying out the physical hardware components and their interconnections.WhiteHat SentinelWhiteHat SentinelThe computer program WhiteHat Sentinel is a specialised ICT tool which tests security weaknesses of the system for potentially unauthorised access to system information, developed by the software comp...NexposeNexposeThe computer program Nexpose is a specialised ICT tool which tests security weaknesses of the system for potentially unauthorised access to system information, developed by the software company Rapid7...THC HydraTHC HydraThe package THC Hydra is a parallelized login cracker which tests security weaknesses of the systems' protocols for potentially unauthorised access to system information. The main features include net...N1QLN1QLThe computer language N1QL is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Couchbase.implement ICT security policiesimplement ICT security policiesImplement statements, assertions or rules that specify the appropriate use and protection of the ICT assets and systems from an organisation. These ICT security policies cover topics such as data clas...design computer networkdesign computer networkDevelop and plan ICT networks, such as wide area network and local area network, that connect computers using cable or wireless connections and allow them to exchange data and assess their capacity re...use different communication channelsuse different communication channelsMake use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.perform data miningperform data miningExplore large datasets to reveal patterns using statistics, database systems or artificial intelligence and present the information in a comprehensible way.analyse network configuration and performanceanalyse network configuration and performanceAnalyse essential network data (e.g., router configuration files, routing protocols), network traffic capacity and performance characteristics of ICT networks, such as wide area network and local area...manage cloud data and storagemanage cloud data and storageCreate and manage cloud data retention. Identify and implement data protection, encryption, and capacity planning needs.collect cyber defence datacollect cyber defence dataCollect data for cyber defence using various data collection tools. Data may be gathered from a number of internal or external sources such as online trade records, DNS request logs, email servers' lo...MaltegoMaltegoThe platform Maltego is a forensic application that uses data mining to deliver on overview of organisations' environment, testing security weaknesses of the system for potentially unauthorised access...cloud technologiescloud technologiesThe technologies which enable access to hardware, software, data and services through remote servers and software networks irrespective of their location and architecture.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a digital forensics expert do?
Digital forensics experts retrieve and analyse information from computers and other types of data storage devices. They examine digital media that may have been hidden, encrypted or damaged, in a forensic manner with the aim to identify, preserve, recover, analyse and present facts and opinions about the digital information.
What skills does a digital forensics expert need?
A digital forensics expert needs 38 essential skills, including digital data processing, computer forensics, check methods, ICT network security risks, ICT security standards.
Will AI replace digital forensics expert jobs?
The AI disruption score for digital forensics expert is 81/100 (very high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: LDAP, digital data processing, perform data mining. Most resilient: present evidence, cloud technologies, security engineering.
AI Replacement Risk
81/ 100
Very High Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Skills most at risk from AI
Skills resilient to automation
This is the average for the whole occupation. The AI Career Shield test (about 10 minutes) shows the risk in your own work and what you can do about it.
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SectorInfocomm Technology
ISCO GroupInformation and communications technology professionals
Essential Skills38
Core Skills4
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