Certificate in Digital Forensics Fundamentals

There are no formal prerequisites, but participants should have:

• A basic understanding of IT systems and security principles.
• Familiarity with file structures, storage devices, and operating systems (recommended but not mandatory).

Target Audience

This course is designed for professionals in:

• IT and cybersecurity roles responsible for investigating digital incidents.
• Law enforcement and internal audit teams handling forensic investigations.
• Regulatory and compliance officers managing digital evidence collection.

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Explain the purpose and key principles of digital forensics.
• Identify different forensic approaches and legal considerations.
• Maintain chain of custody and handle evidence securely.
• Acquire and validate forensic images using industry-standard techniques.
• Analyse file systems, metadata, and system artefacts for digital evidence.
• Examine Windows Registry, deleted files, and forensic artefacts.
• Explore IoT forensics, mobile device analysis, and anti-forensic methods.
• Produce forensic reports that meet evidential standards.

Introduction to digital forensics

• Key concepts and objectives of digital forensics.
• The role of digital forensics in cybercrime investigations.
• Responsibilities of a forensic investigator.
• Legal and ethical considerations in forensic investigations.

Labs:

• Exploring the role of digital forensics in investigations.
• Hands-on forensic investigator scenario.

Digital evidence collection techniques

• Types of digital evidence and forensic approaches.
• NPCC guidelines for handling and collecting digital evidence.
• The role and toolkit of a first responder.

Labs:

• First responder scenario and triage using OS Forensics.

Legal framework and forensic best practices

• Understanding data protection laws and regulatory requirements.
• The importance of chain of custody in forensic investigations.
• Adhering to ISO/IEC forensic standards.

Labs:

• Scenario-based legal compliance exercise.
• Computer Misuse Act application in forensic cases.

Evidence imaging and verification

• Forensic imaging techniques and best practices.
• Using hashing algorithms for evidence validation.
• Working with FTK Imager and forensic hash sets.

Labs:

• Hash value verification and forensic imaging practice.

Computer hardware fundamentals for forensics

• Understanding BIOS, boot processes, and storage devices.
• Partitioning and how data can be hidden in storage.
• Differences between HDDs and SSDs in forensic investigations.

Labs:

• Partition manipulation and forensic imaging.

Data representation and analysis

• ASCII, Unicode, and binary/hex representation of data.
• Endianness: Big-endian vs Little-endian storage formats.

Labs:

• Decoding binary and hexadecimal data.

File systems and deleted data recovery

• FAT and NTFS file system structures.
• Understanding slack space and data recovery methods.

Labs:

• Viewing deleted files and forensic artefacts in Windows.

File signatures and file carving

• Using file signatures (magic numbers) for forensic analysis.
• File carving techniques for recovering hidden or deleted files.

Labs:

• File signature analysis and manual file carving using Kali Linux.

Windows artefacts and file metadata analysis

• Investigating Windows Registry, event logs, and metadata.
• Examining EXIF data and forensic artefacts in Windows systems.

Labs:

• Windows log analysis and registry forensic exploration.
• E-mail header analysis and packet data inspection using Wireshark.

Mobile device forensics

• Unique challenges in mobile device investigations.
• Extracting data from smartphones and mobile devices.
• Methods for mobile device examination and evidence recovery.

Forensic reporting and documentation

• The importance of comprehensive forensic documentation.
• Best practices for structuring forensic reports.
• Preparing forensic evidence for legal proceedings.

IoT and emerging forensic technologies

• Understanding IoT security challenges and forensic methodologies.
• Investigating smart devices, vehicle forensics, and wearable IoT.
• Anti-forensics techniques: steganography, countermeasures, and password cracking.

Labs:

• Password cracking using Passware.
• Anti-forensics detection and mitigation strategies.

Forensic software and tools

• Overview of commercial and open-source forensic tools.
• Hands-on practice with key forensic utilities.

Labs:

• Recovering multiple types of forensic evidence in a real-world scenario.

Exams and Assessments

• 90-minute multiple-choice exam (70 questions, 50% pass mark).
• The APMG Proctor-U exam is taken online after course completion.
• Delegates receive individual access to the APMG candidate portal (available two weeks post-exam).