The career of digital forensics investigators relates to social sciences in several
important ways, because their work doesn’t just involve analyzing data and technology;
it also requires understanding human behavior, motivation, and societal context. The
most significant aspect, in my opinion, is that investigators often rely on psychological
theories to interpret digital evidence and help profile cybercriminals, which aids in their
investigations. Investigators also need to comprehend how a victim’s online actions may
have rendered them vulnerable and facilitated their exploitation, which can be attributed
to the Routine Activity Theory. Since many cybercrimes involve social engineering,
which exploits human trust and behavior, it’s important that investigators understand
how people interact digitally, which requires a social science lens. This can include
analyzing their emails, text messages, or social media accounts.
I think the speaker’s pathway into digital forensics investigation is intriguing. He says
there weren’t many courses in the field then, so “you either fell into it or got put into it.”
This path is interesting to think about because most careers like this require formal
training or degrees to get into now, and he kind of just stumbled upon it and got offered
an opportunity to work in the first national digital forensics practice in Australia without
any background knowledge in the field. With all that being said, hearing his story gives
me hope that I can be successful in the field of cybersecurity, given that I’m coming from
a military background as a mechanic without any formal experience or training in
technology.