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    Computer Forensics in WIT

    • 19-08-2007 02:37PM
      #1
      steven22
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 111
      ✭✭


      Hey does anyone here study Computer Forensics in WIT ? I have tried the WIT site but it doesnt give much info on the course.

      Id be really grateful if someone who has done the course could answer me these questions :

      How many points is it to get in ?

      Is it a full time course (what are the hours like), Im assuming theres alot of labwork ?

      Is it a hard course ?

      What are the job prospects like after it ?



      Just like to add that Im 21 and am looking at applying through CAO as I went travelling after school and may aswell get use out of my points before im 23.
      I like computers ... internet,gaming but I dunno how Id be at programming and stuff! I am giving this course alot of thought and Id appreciate it if someone answered my questions.

      Sound lads,
      Steven22


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    Comments

    • #2
      dlofnep
      Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 dlofnep
      ✭✭✭✭


      Was looking into it myself man - might do it after multimedia. Programming requires alot of logic and problem breakdowns.. It makes sense to some people, but to other people - they just don't ever really grasp it.

      Job prospects for computer forensics I'd imagine would be Garda, Army or IT security companies.


    • #3
      Sully
      Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Sully
      Mod ✭✭✭✭


      Steven: As far as im aware, its not fully released yet. I know some of the 1st years (now second years) who done a Forensics "stream" but im not sure if its the course thats being spoken about. Im in the BSc Applied Comp, and we get to to the Computer Forensics. Our lecturer runs the course and he says we pretty much do the same stuff - but we havent done much work.

      Would it be of any use if I gave you the email address of the chap who is running the course? He would be much better use, as I dont think many have taken the course to comment!


    • #4
      AdMMM
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,472 AdMMM
      ✭✭✭


      dlofnep wrote:
      Was looking into it myself man - might do it after multimedia. Programming requires alot of logic and problem breakdowns.. It makes sense to some people, but to other people - they just don't ever really grasp it.

      Job prospects for computer forensics I'd imagine would be Garda, Army or IT security companies.
      Aye you'll be the guys who get to look at the child porn :)


    • #5
      Sully
      Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Sully
      Mod ✭✭✭✭


      |.Murderer.| wrote:
      Aye you'll be the guys who get to look at the child porn :)

      Thats just sick. Why would you put a smiley face to such a comment? Whats so great about seeing child porn? Feck sake like!


    • #6
      dlofnep
      Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 dlofnep
      ✭✭✭✭


      *steps away from this thread carefully*


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    • #7
      Timmy_d
      Closed Accounts Posts: 273 Timmy_d
      ✭✭


      |.Murderer.| wrote:
      Aye you'll be the guys who get to look at the child porn :)

      Hmmm wouldnt mind punching you right now....retarded comment.


    • #8
      pointofnoreturn
      Closed Accounts Posts: 285 pointofnoreturn
      ✭✭


      I'd say jobs after this course would be more about preventing explicit material i.e child porn, rather then looking for it! i'm too not happy with that comment |.Murderer.| posted. job is a job and your deal with matters in a professional way and serious cases such as that, no one would make a joke about it!


    • #9
      Sully
      Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Sully
      Mod ✭✭✭✭


      I dont think the Gardai have a proper forensic team. It goes to the UK.

      UK companies hire Forensics teams to recover data but also keep data secure etc. Police forces use them for similar but mainly when going out on a raid to recover PCs for investigation (from terrorism to illegal activies - not all down to child porn).


    • #10
      Timmy_d
      Closed Accounts Posts: 273 Timmy_d
      ✭✭


      would be class to do a job like that,interesting id say...


    • #11
      rogue-entity
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,664 rogue-entity
      ✭✭✭


      I'm moving into Applied Computing myself.. and from what I was told, Computer Forensics is going to be one of the options/streams in that course, not sure how it's going to work out though. Still it should be quite interesting.


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    • #12
      dlofnep
      Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 dlofnep
      ✭✭✭✭


      rogue-entity wrote:
      I'm moving into Applied Computing myself.. and from what I was told, Computer Forensics is going to be one of the options/streams in that course, not sure how it's going to work out though. Still it should be quite interesting.

      What course are you moving in from?


    • #13
      Newaglish
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,734 Newaglish
      ✭✭✭


      |.Murderer.| wrote:
      Aye you'll be the guys who get to look at the child porn :)

      Slightly callous but nonetheless true! I know of some people working in Computer Forensics (or Forensic Technology as it's called here) who had to spend alot of time searching through reams and reams of the stuff and they're not the best for it.
      I'd say jobs after this course would be more about preventing explicit material i.e child porn, rather then looking for it!

      Unfortunately no! If you're searching a hard drive you've recovered for illicit images you have to look through every single one to be able to document it and present your evidence in court.

      Other than that the work sounds quite interesting, particularly on the fraud/criminal activity side of it, raiding computers and the likes.


    • #14
      Sully
      Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Sully
      Mod ✭✭✭✭


      dlofnep wrote:
      What course are you moving in from?

      Commercial Computing ;)


    • #15
      AdMMM
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,472 AdMMM
      ✭✭✭


      Sully wrote:
      Thats just sick. Why would you put a smiley face to such a comment? Whats so great about seeing child porn? Feck sake like!
      What would be sick (I'd imagine) Sully, is having to look through reams and reams of child porn which is something that most people wouldn't classify as being a part of their job that they enjoy. The smiley face was meant to be sympathethic.
      Hmmm wouldnt mind punching you right now....retarded comment.

      So you'd like to punch everyone who tells you what field of work you could possibly be carrying out?


    • #16
      Sully
      Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Sully
      Mod ✭✭✭✭


      The way you said it Murderer, in fairness, was as if it was a "perk" in the job. Clearly I wasnt the only one who thought that. It just came across very bizzare.

      Computer Forensics invovles different things in different jobs. If your working for the state police as a computer forensic then it would be part and parcel of the job. Thats what they are paid to do - recover content thats illegal. Even if its childporn. Majority of the time, forensic teams are fairly aware of what there getting into in each case.


    • #17
      shapez
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 724 shapez
      ✭✭✭


      Hi,

      You need to talk to John Sheppard. He is the course leader for this.

      steven22 wrote:
      Hey does anyone here study Computer Forensics in WIT ? I have tried the WIT site but it doesnt give much info on the course.

      Id be really grateful if someone who has done the course could answer me these questions :

      How many points is it to get in ?

      Is it a full time course (what are the hours like), Im assuming theres alot of labwork ?

      Is it a hard course ?

      What are the job prospects like after it ?



      Just like to add that Im 21 and am looking at applying through CAO as I went travelling after school and may aswell get use out of my points before im 23.
      I like computers ... internet,gaming but I dunno how Id be at programming and stuff! I am giving this course alot of thought and Id appreciate it if someone answered my questions.

      Sound lads,
      Steven22


    • #18
      theghostat3
      Closed Accounts Posts: 3 theghostat3
      ✭


      "Slightly callous but nonetheless true! I know of some people working in Computer Forensics (or Forensic Technology as it's called here) who had to spend alot of time searching through reams and reams of the stuff and they're not the best for it."

      If you are talking about the people currently in the course then you are wrong, im one of the 5 left in it ( :O ) and we havent looked through any yet...although we have been recovering some deleted data on the wit comps and it seems some people in this college have a penchant for granny porn!!

      Oh and the course is pretty cool but it was horribly organised in first year, fingers crossed second year will be better!


    • #19
      King Ludvig
      Closed Accounts Posts: 640 King Ludvig
      ✭✭✭


      theghostat3 wrote: »
      "Slightly callous but nonetheless true! I know of some people working in Computer Forensics (or Forensic Technology as it's called here) who had to spend alot of time searching through reams and reams of the stuff and they're not the best for it."

      If you are talking about the people currently in the course then you are wrong, im one of the 5 left in it ( :O ) and we havent looked through any yet...although we have been recovering some deleted data on the wit comps and it seems some people in this college have a penchant for granny porn!!

      Oh and the course is pretty cool but it was horribly organised in first year, fingers crossed second year will be better!

      I think he was talking about the equililent course in the UK ;)


    • #20
      burtyburr
      Closed Accounts Posts: 69 burtyburr
      ✭✭


      Any updates on this course or a link to a post.Just about to sign up as a msture student.


    • #21
      dlofnep
      Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 dlofnep
      ✭✭✭✭


      burtyburr wrote: »
      Any updates on this course or a link to a post.Just about to sign up as a msture student.

      Course has been running for a while now successfully. My friend is doing it at the moment. Course details should be up on www.wit.ie

      I didn't do it, but I'm going onto study a masters in a similar field.


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    • #22
      Sully
      Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Sully
      Mod ✭✭✭✭


      Course Details can be found here:-
      http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055294225

      Search the forum and you will get a few topics on the course.

      Specific questions, I can try get the current final year students of the course to reply.


    • #23
      Flyin Irishman
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 477 Flyin Irishman
      ✭✭


      Heya, im in the final year of the computer forensics course (not the stream of applied computing), i know the threads quite old but if anyone has any q's id b happy to help ;)


    • #24
      joanne.jo
      Closed Accounts Posts: 7 joanne.jo
      ✭


      Hey, I have completed a BSc in IT in WIT three yrs ago. But I am thinking of going back to do Computer Forensics, I can skip the first year and do the last two yrs then ill have it as an add on degree. I have researched it pretty well, but I need to know if there is alot of Programming in this course? I haven't done programming for a good few years and never was very good at it. I'm going to have to pay my fees and I need to know this before I take out a whopping loan and then realise that I;m not able for it .. so any advice would be great .. thanks .. jo


    • #25
      MitchKoobski
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,101 MitchKoobski
      ✭✭✭


      joanne.jo wrote: »
      Hey, I have completed a BSc in IT in WIT three yrs ago. But I am thinking of going back to do Computer Forensics, I can skip the first year and do the last two yrs then ill have it as an add on degree. I have researched it pretty well, but I need to know if there is alot of Programming in this course? I haven't done programming for a good few years and never was very good at it. I'm going to have to pay my fees and I need to know this before I take out a whopping loan and then realise that I;m not able for it .. so any advice would be great .. thanks .. jo
      Hiya, I attended a year of Applied Computing and our first year was the same classes as Computer Forensics, along with Entertainment Systems. We all had mostly the same exams, and I can easily say programming is a major part. Its one of the core subjects e.g. you must pass every exam and you can't use credits to help you pass it. I would recommend doing the first year again, even just to freshen up. You would be exempt from any classes you took before, but are always welcome to sit in on a class to go back over what you aren't clear on.


    • #26
      Flyin Irishman
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 477 Flyin Irishman
      ✭✭


      joanne.jo wrote: »
      Hey, I have completed a BSc in IT in WIT three yrs ago. But I am thinking of going back to do Computer Forensics, I can skip the first year and do the last two yrs then ill have it as an add on degree. I have researched it pretty well, but I need to know if there is alot of Programming in this course? I haven't done programming for a good few years and never was very good at it. I'm going to have to pay my fees and I need to know this before I take out a whopping loan and then realise that I;m not able for it .. so any advice would be great .. thanks .. jo

      Hey joanne, there is java programming throughout the course, its not major stuff but most semesters you have 1 maths subject and 1 programming subject.
      In first year its:
      Programming Fundamentals (Just learning how to write simple java and create some basic methods, using BlueJ)
      Algorithms (This is just a follow on, you start to learn more techniques like test-first programming and you create a kind of project program which will use different classes and teach you how to make them interact.)

      Second Year is:
      Data Structures (This one was a bit of a fumble for us because we were the first year and it wasnt quite organised yet, I presume its sorted now. This one isnt all practical work, you learn more about data types and then apply what you study, I think you might be continuing the same project that was started in Algorithms, I know thats what Applied did. Other than that I think you learn some basic GUI programming and you will be using eclipse instead of BlueJ. I dont think anyone failed this in our class or Applied.
      Web App Development (This one is more programming java servlets and css, as far as I know this one has changed slightly this year from last so Im not entirely sure on the details. You'll be working with setting up a tomcat server and creating servlets and forms for online use. Its not too bad if you stay on top of it but if you dont bother at the start it will make it hard to catch up

      There's no java in final year, but you will probably end up programming in ur final year project, you do have
      Artificial Intelligence (This one is mostly theory but there is some practical work using Prolog, not as much emphasis on programming as the other modules mentioned though)

      And thats it, so if your starting in second year really you'll only have 2 programming-heavy subjects, both java.

      Hope that helps in some way, let me know if theres anything else I can answer for ya (or if i need to explain anything better)


    • #27
      wapano0
      Closed Accounts Posts: 5 wapano0
      ✭


      Hey Flyin Irishman,

      I'm actually in DIT atm but giving some serious consideration in coming down to start this course - the Business course I'm doing made me realise that I totally am a geek at heart - should've been doing some computarz from day one.
      The only thing is I'm a bit broke for cash and I'll have to start first year again = €5k all in. ;_;

      I'll have to travel down from Carlow for the first year to make ends meet but the bus and train schedules don't look too great, what time did lectures start for you on the first year? If it was 09:00 that's not good news.

      tl;dr - any 09:00 starts? :/


    • #28
      Sully
      Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Sully
      Mod ✭✭✭✭


      Yes, there would be a a good bit of Java based programming involved - you generally share the course with a few other courses so the programming module is shared.

      Timetable dependent but first classes in WIT start at 9.15am.


    • #29
      wapano0
      Closed Accounts Posts: 5 wapano0
      ✭


      Thanks Sully, does the timetable stay static year on year? I'll pester the guy who runs the course for some info if it does.


    • #30
      Sully
      Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Sully
      Mod ✭✭✭✭


      wapano0 wrote: »
      Thanks Sully, does the timetable stay static year on year? I'll pester the guy who runs the course for some info if it does.

      Would probably change, never taken much notice to be honest.

      Not sure how successful you will be in getting a reply from the course leader either.


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    • #31
      Flyin Irishman
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 477 Flyin Irishman
      ✭✭


      wapano0 wrote: »
      Hey Flyin Irishman,

      I'm actually in DIT atm but giving some serious consideration in coming down to start this course - the Business course I'm doing made me realise that I totally am a geek at heart - should've been doing some computarz from day one.
      The only thing is I'm a bit broke for cash and I'll have to start first year again = €5k all in. ;_;

      I'll have to travel down from Carlow for the first year to make ends meet but the bus and train schedules don't look too great, what time did lectures start for you on the first year? If it was 09:00 that's not good news.

      tl;dr - any 09:00 starts? :/

      The timetable will probably change year to year but 1st and 2nd year you'll start at 9.15 most mornings, the timetable is a bit cramped because ur squeezing an honours degree into 3 years. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news
      -Flyin


    • #32
      wapano0
      Closed Accounts Posts: 5 wapano0
      ✭


      Thanks for the help guys, oh well - I'll think about it and see what I can come up with!


    • #33
      Doylers
      Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,700 Doylers
      ✭✭✭


      Im in forensics right now most days are from 9-5 except for Friday when I finish at 1. Its a pretty busy course.

      email : johnsheppard@wit.ie (he's the course leader, don't expect a fast response lol)

      visit these websites they have alot to do with security and forensics


      http://www.forensicfocus.com

      http://www.sans.org

      https://www.issa.org/


    • #34
      pa4
      Closed Accounts Posts: 617 pa4
      ✭✭✭


      Doylers wrote: »
      Im in forensics right now most days are from 9-5 except for Friday when I finish at 1. Its a pretty busy course.

      email : johnsheppard@wit.ie (he's the course leader, don't expect a fast response lol)

      visit these websites they have alot to do with security and forensics


      http://www.forensicfocus.com

      http://www.sans.org

      https://www.issa.org/

      on average how much hours a week is this course?


    • #35
      Sully
      Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Sully
      Mod ✭✭✭✭


      pa4 wrote: »
      on average how much hours a week is this course?

      9-5 pretty much (give or take an hour or two) every day bar Friday IIRC.


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