Institute of Computer Forensic Professionals Mission:
The standardization, education, and foundation of the principles and practices in digital forensics.
Standardization in regard to the digital forensics field has been very difficult due to the fact that it is not constrained by the typical issues associated with any other science. Data is not static like a chemical can be, and each time data is accessed the same result is not guaranteed. This variety has come to make a standard very difficult to set, let alone maintained, in the field of digital evidence.
In an effort to deal with this variety, the ICFP has broken the field of digital forensics into disciplines. Each discipline is addressed as a single unit that can be evaluated from foundation to practice. Once the evaluation is completed, a recommendation is made for learning guidelines. These learning guidelines are then available for any forensic training course to be able to fulfill its requirements or standard of learning.
Throughout time, society has sought for knowledge in an attempt to reach new levels and frontiers. The field of digital forensics is no exception and, as it moves from its infancy to adulthood, the baseline of educational & practical standards will be established.
Technology is changing all the time and so are the educational standards for it. The ICFP has designed baseline standardization programs in the different disciplines of computer forensics that can be put into practice through a variety of different sources.
There are many educational and training programs that have evolved from some of the founding minds in the digital forensic discipline. However, the ICFP is working to bring these minds together into a single cooperative power.
There are basic rules in any of the forensic fields involving the evidence being processed. These rules have acted as foundations for these fields of practice. They are simple and strong as they deal with the preservation, integrity, and validation of the evidence that is collected. These same founding principles exist in the field of digital evidence. The ICFP will act as a source to warrant the preservation of these foundation principles in reference to digital evidence.
