Computer Forensics Level I Training

Online - 50 Hours

This is not a "watered down" training course.  Not like other courses, we tell you in detail what we cover during the course and what our experience and expertise is.  We have a great training course, great material, experienced instructors and we truly want you to learn the material and to become good forensic examiners.  We want you to compare and decide what is best for you.    

You will be provided well developed, detailed handouts of the course material.   The course contains a number of practical exercise problems in the form of specially prepared diskettes or a hard disk drive that must be examined.  The practical exercises will reinforce the material and teach "hands-on" skills.   A case scenario will be used where a fictional private investigator brings you, the examiner, each diskette or a hard disk drive for examination.  Each diskette will build to the next exercise, until finally a hard disk drive is examined and the case is concluded.  Real life computer forensic issues will be covered by the practical exercises. 

Clear, concise, accurate reports that draw appropriate conclusions are a very important factor in presenting the results of a forensic examination.  We require reports detailing each "practical exercise" examination.  We critically review your reports as if we were the "other side" and will help you develop excellent report writing skills.  Your final reports can be used as your "template" for real examinations.

Our instructors are all Certified Forensic Computer Examiners or Certified Computer Examiners (CCE)® who are currently involved in computer forensic examinations.  They will coach and tutor you through the practical exercises, your reports and through the test questions for each module.  Our instructors are highly qualified, experienced and understand forensic examinations far beyond the material in this course.  Your interaction with your instructor will normally be via email, but direct assistance is available.   We truly want you to learn the material and to become a good forensic examiner.

This online program is designed for people interested in becoming Computer Forensics experts. Students move at their own pace through all 3 levels (7 modules) and learn how to forensically Exam(s)ine and recover data from operating systems. Students learn core forensic procedures for any operating or file system, and how to conduct forensically sound Examinations to preserve evidence for admission and use in legal proceedings. Each module requires an Exam(s) and completion of practical exercises before you can move to the next module. Additionally, this course will help prepare you for the upcoming Certified Computer Examiner (CCE) Examination.

LEVEL I

Module 1 – Introduction to Computer Forensics

• Recommended Machine Configurations
• What makes a good computer forensic examiner?
• Computer Forensics vs. E Discovery
• Dealing with clients or employers
• Work Product
• Client Contracts
• Legal and privacy issues
• Software Licensing
• Ethical Conduct Issues
• Cases that may include digital evidence 
• Forensic Examination Procedures
• Determining Scope of Examinations
• Hardware and Imaging Issues
• Floppy Diskette, USB and Optical Media Examination
• Limited Examinations
• Forensically Sterile Examination Media
• Examination Documentation and Reports
• ASCII Table
• General Overview of Boot Process and Operating Systems
• Floppy Diskette Sides, FD Tracks, Hard Disk Drives
• BIOS History
• Networked Computers
• Media Acquisition
• Acquisition Documentation
• Chain of Custody

Module 2 – Imaging and Introduction to SMART

• Imaging Theory and Process
• Imaging Methods
• Write Blocking
• Imaging Flash Drives
• SMART Introduction
• Wiping, Hashing, Validation, Image Restoration, Cloning, Unallocated Space
• Drive Partitioning
• One (1) Student Lab Practical Exercise

We will provide a detailed manual for each module covered.  These manuals can be used later in your career for reference purposes.  Sample reports, additional practical exercises, a DOS primer, Diskedit primer and other useful information and applications will also be provided. You will be subscribed to our listservers that provide both administrative and technical information.  Even after you complete the course, as material is updated, you will be able to download the new material from our web site.

Minimum Requirements:

§ Newer PC with latest updates and BIOS

§ Windows 2000 or XP Operating system (Vista is currently being tested for compatibility issues)

§ Internet access

§ 512 MB (or more) memory

§ 2 GB or larger hard disk drive for examination purposes

§ Integrated PS/2 ports (Not USB Keyboard or Mouse)

§ 2 open USB 2.0 ports  

Recommended Configuration:

§ Newer PC with latest updates and BIOS

§ Windows 2000 or XP Operating system (Vista is currently being tested for compatibility issues)

§ Internet access

§ 1 GB (or more) memory

§ 2 GB or larger hard disk drive for examination purposes

§ Integrated PS/2 ports (Not USB Keyboard or Mouse)

§ 4 open USB 2.0 ports

§ 1 open Firewire / IEEE 1394 port

§ Read / Write Blocking device such as the 'FireFly Read/Write' device made by Digital Intelligence

With the arrival of our newly revised course and software, it should now be possible for our online students to complete this course using either a desktop or laptop computer. In fact, we have had more success with students using laptop computers as of recently. If you are currently shopping for a computer to complete this training (and later on use in the field), we suggest the IBM Lenovo R61.

Software provided with the training course:

Alongside the training materials, we will also be providing all students one 1 GB USB Thumbdrive and a suite of licensed and shareware/freeware software. We provide fully licensed copies of the following software:

SMART - www.ASRData.com
Simple Carver - www.SimpleCarver.com
Passware Kit - www.LostPassword.com
Forensic Tool Kit (Demo version) - www.AccessData.com