Answer:
By 'fingerprint', I take it you mean 'digital fingerprint', as in user activity that can be traced back to an individual? On computers, each user will have their own ID (identity). This will be shown in forensic software as a number associated with a particular user name. When someone logs in under a particular user name all the traces of activity they carry out will be recorded by the operating system in that name. That means it's a good idea to keep your password secret. If someone knows your user name and password, they can log in to your computer as you and everything they do, good or bad, will then be associated with your username! On mobile phones, users can be identified via the telephone number. There is usually an associated email address, also, or some user name associated with an application e.g. WhatsApp, Facebook.

Answer:
If someone knows or has stolen a user name and password, all the actions they carry out on a digital device will be associated with that name. Hackers have particular ways of working though, and an experienced digital forensic examiner should recognise these. For instance, where hacking has happened via email, usually there will be a suspicious link to be found or evidence of a very minor change in the sending email address, which will look very familiar but will actually differ by perhaps only one letter so that it's difficult for the receiving party to spot.

Answer:
I'd say there are two really important parts: Integrity and Impartiality. By 'Integrity', I mean integrity of the data collected for an enquiry. The Digital Forensic examiner has a duty to make sure that any data that may be used in evidence has not been changed or altered in any way. By 'Impartiality', I mean that the Digital Forensic examiner should carry out analysis with an open mind. It is not the place of the Digital Forensic examiner to decide whether someone is 'guilty' or 'innocent' of doing some deed on a digital device. Where an enquiry leads to court proceedings, that is for the court to decide. The Digital Forensic examiner's job is to try to establish what happened, when, in other words, to unravel the sequence of events that occurred during the time period under review. With digital devices, it is virtually impossible to say whose hands were on the keyboard at any given time. There are likely to be clues that point to the involvement of a particular person or persons, though, and the Digital Forensic examiner should gather as many of these clues as possible and report them, in an unbiased way, to whoever is leading the inquiry.

Answer:
The most difficult cases are those where the suspect has a lot of computer or IT knowledge. That will usually mean that the person will know how to cover their digital tracks. It's pretty difficult to wipe out all traces of user activity, though, because operating systems keep multiple copies of things in all sorts of places, many of them hidden to the user. Doing a really efficient clean-up means knowing where all those places are. There's another interesting aspect, too. The absence of data can strongly indicate suspicious user behaviour. Certain areas of a computer operating system always have data in them. If a Digital Forensic examiner finds that those areas have been zeroed out - that is, erased using specialist software - they will know that something fishy has been going on.

Answer:
Difficult to say. It depends on how well trained you want to be. At a minimum, someone going into Digital Forensics will need a degree in computing or a closely related subject, such as coding, so that would normally take 3 years at university. After that, further training will usually be required, either in-house at the company where you're employed or via short courses specially developed by, for example, the makers of forensic software and hardware.

Answer:
A great question and you can find out more by looking at BT Early careers and follow the links to cybersecurity apprenticeships. You can find out some tips and hints on how to prepare for our apprenticeship opportunities and go to the careers section. The application tips for each of the stages are relevant for not just BT but many many large public and private sector employers too.

Answer:
The best and simplest thing you can do is to regularly (e.g. monthly) back up your important data to somewhere that is clean, safe and not permanently connected to your usual machine - for example onto a removable hard drive. You should also disable any software that allows someone to access your machine remotely (often called the Remote Desktop Protocol, or RDP). There is lots of good advice from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Catching individuals is extremely difficult, often because they are highly skilled in covering their tracks online and they may also be outside of the UK, making the legal process even more complex even if you can find the perpetrators.

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Yes, it is possible (and rather easy!) to hijack the camera on your computer, as hackers are very skilled at hiding secret software (called a Trojan) within applications or even operating system files. Many of these can be caught with good anti-virus software but new ones emerge all the time and it can be hard to keep track of them. The easiest thing you can do to protect yourself is simply to stick a post-it over the camera when you are not using it.

Answer:
Good question! Once you are aware of a hack, the first thing you should do is contact your bank right away so that they can cancel your cards, issue you with new ones and monitor your account. If you leave it too long before informing your bank, you may find it difficult to persuade them to refund you any money that might have been stolen. The next thing you should do is change all your passwords (not just for your bank) - criminals often build up a picture of you from lots of small pieces of online information put together, which can enable them to pretend to be you if they are lucky. Finally, if your bank does not already use it, you should ask them to use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), which is a fancy way of saying that to do something with your account you don't just need a password but also at least one other thing - something you have, something you are, or even somewhere you are. Often banks will now send you a text message with a pass code to also use, and this will help to keep everything more secure.

Answer:
Great question. How do we know who we are speaking to is really who they say they are? Try to validate the person you are talking to, check other social media platforms to see if their stories match up. Do they have much of a presence online, or do they have one or two pictures that maybe don't feel real? If the person says they are a friend of 'X', go directly to that person and check if this is true before continuing. Always trust your instincts! That feeling that something isn't right is almost always correct. Don't be afraid to stop chatting and ignore any incoming messages that start to feel uncomfortable, strange or just 'off'! Always be wary of someone who is over familiar, asking personal questions, pushing to meet up with you alone or offering things that are too good to be true. You can always ask someone you trust for their opinion if you're not sure yourself. Don't forget to always protect yourself when speaking with someone you don't know. Never give away any personal information such as your home address to someone you don't know and don't feel pressured to answer any questions you don't want to.