Editor's Note: This post was originally published December 2014 and has recently been updated and revised for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Computer hacking forensic investigation is the process of detecting hacking attacks and properly extracting evidence to report the crime and conduct audits to prevent future attacks. In this way, computer forensics is much like other forms of forensics in that you search for evidence that can’t be seen by the untrained eye, looking for evidence buried deep within computer software and hardware.