The efficient use of computer forensics can establish what a computer (or other media) has been used for and can then recreate all these actions. This, therefore, can create evidence, which is admissible in both civil and criminal cases relating to areas such as fraud, theft of trade secrets, theft of or destruction of intellectual property and the store of and dissemination of data such as pornographic material.

In effect it is important to understand that every computer is monitoring its users' every action on it. Which means every key stroke made, every Internet page visited, every picture downloaded and every print job sent to a printer can be recreated by a Computer Forensic Specialist. Even if you think you have deleted a file it will still exist in most cases long after you have deleted it and can be recovered by a trained, qualified Computer Forensic Specialist.

It can affect you at work. Increasingly companies are using Computer Forensic Specialists to assist them in enforcing their Computer Misuse Policies by targeting the computers of employees who have been logged as having visited certain Internet sites or have received e:mails containing graphics. In order to obtain sufficient proof for disciplinary or even legal action against an employee companies are using PC Forensic Specialists to acquire non intrusive images of the suspected employees hard drive for analysis. Prior to action then being taken.

It can affect you at home. If your personal computer is being used to view illegal sites or store data which could incriminate you in a criminal or civil court of law, then it could be the subject of a seizure by law enforcement agencies and the data analysed by A Computer Forensic Specialist. Remember, no matter if you delete these files or think you have been clever in hiding them, you will be caught.