Electronic devices are being admitted as evidence in an increasingly large proportion of legal cases. As technology progresses apace, and analysis becomes more complex, the question arises: How 'computer literate' do a judge and jury need to be in order to ensure a safe verdict?

For a person to call themselves a GP of medicine, they must adhere to the qualification and practice standards of the General Medical Council. But for computer forensics experts, no such regulation exists. If sub-standard 'experts' are involved in criminal investigations, this could result in contamination of evidence and poor testimony which could lead to a miscarriage of justice.

From intellectual property theft to the downloading of indecent images, investigations of computer crimes require the assistance of computer forensics specialists. Unfortunately, just as computer forensics experts are able to create tools to collect and analyse data, criminals are setting about creating 'anti-forensics' tools to frustrate criminal investigations.

While most parents are aware of the potential dangers of allowing children to use chat rooms and social networking sites without supervision, many may be unaware of the danger posed by games consoles that connect to the web.

Small businesses lose an average of 800 GBP a year to online crimes, according to a survey by the Federation of Small Business. According to the report, such crimes typically cost small businesses 500 GBP to 5,000 GBP, yet the FSB revealed that around one third of small firms do not report online crime to the police or their banks because of "a lack of faith in the system".

In March 2009, a BBC Wales investigation revealed that serious data security breaches have occurred at three of the four Wales police forces. The breaches revealed by BBC Wales highlight the importance of strong and well enforced data security guidelines for any firm dealing with sensitive data.

A new report released by brand protection firm MarkMonitor has revealed that online abuse of leading brands is growing more common, damaging brand reputations and upping the risk of unwitting users becoming the victims of malware and phishing attacks.

Two cyber-criminals were jailed today for their involvement in an attempt to rob a UK bank using stolen staff passwords. Hugh Rodley, 61 was sentenced to eight years while David Nash, 47 was given three years for their part in an attempt to steal 229m GBP from the Sumitomo Mitsui Bank in London. The case highlights the threat to corporate security of keylogging software and USB storage devices.

The process of law making is notoriously long and drawn out, with Bills taking months or even years to pass into to law. In the realms of computer crime, where technology develops apace, this sometimes means that the law is left flagging dangerously behind.

Whenever a company engages a third party to provide a product or service, a vetting process should be undertaken to ensure that the contract will be performed with due prudence and responsibility and to an appropriate standard. Never is this more important than in the field of computer forensics, where the quality of the investigation can have a significant impact on the outcome of a case.