being law enforcement professionals, many of the early members of these groups were also computer hobbyists and became responsible for the field's initial research and direction.

One of the first practical (or at least publicized) examples of digital forensics was Cliff Stoll's pursuit of hacker Markus Hess in 1986. Stoll, whose investigation made use of computer and network forensic techniques, was not a specialized examiner. Many of the earliest forensic examinations