Course Details

This course is appropriate for a wide range of professionals but not limited to:

• Cybersecurity Professionals
• Law Enforcement Officers
• IT Professionals and Network Administrators
• Legal Professionals 
• Incident Response Teams

• Expert-led sessions with dynamic visual aids
• Comprehensive course manual to support practical application and reinforcement
• Interactive discussions addressing participants’ real-world projects and challenges
• Insightful case studies and proven best practices to enhance learning

By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

• Understand Digital Forensics
• Handle Digital Evidence
• Use Forensic Tools Effectively
• Analyze Network Traffic and Investigate Cyber Attacks
• Investigate Malware
• Document and Report Findings

DAY 1

Introduction to Digital Forensics and Cyber Investigation

• Pre-test

Understanding the Fundamentals

• Introduction to Digital Forensics

• Definition and scope
• The role of a digital forensics expert in investigations
• Overview of the forensic process (e.g., identification, preservation, analysis, and reporting)

• Overview of Cybercrime and Types of Cyber Investigations

• Common cybercrimes (hacking, identity theft, cyberbullying, fraud)
• Cybercrime categories (computer crimes, network-based crimes, etc.)
• Types of investigations (network intrusion, malware analysis, data breaches)

Digital Evidence

• Types of Digital Evidence

• Hard drives, flash drives, mobile devices, cloud storage
• Digital footprints (logs, cookies, emails, metadata)
• Live data vs. static data

• Legal Aspects of Digital Forensics

• Legal framework and regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA)
• Chain of custody and its importance
• Search and seizure protocols
• Evidence handling and documentation

DAY 2

Digital Forensics Tools and Techniques

Tools for Digital Forensics

• Introduction to Forensic Tools

• Overview of popular forensic tools (e.g., FTK Imager, EnCase, Autopsy, X1, SIFT)
• Features and functions of forensic tools (imaging, analysis, recovery)
• Disk imaging and acquisition methods (e.g., write-blockers, cloning)

• Forensic Examination of Storage Devices

• Techniques for analyzing hard drives, SSDs, and flash drives
• Data carving (file recovery techniques)
• File system analysis (FAT, NTFS, HFS, EXT)

Investigating and Analyzing Data

• Data Analysis Techniques

• File system and metadata analysis
• Timeline analysis and event reconstruction
• Data integrity and hashing
• Password cracking techniques and tools (e.g., John the Ripper, Hashcat)

• Mobile Device Forensics

• Overview of mobile device forensics
• Challenges in mobile forensics (OS types, encryption)
• Mobile data extraction (physical vs. logical acquisition)
• Analyzing text messages, call logs, app data

DAY 3

Network Forensics and Cyber Investigation

Introduction to Network Forensics

• Network Forensics Basics

• Network Monitoring and packet capture
• Importance of packet sniffling (Wireshark, tcpdump)
• Network traffic analysis (IP addresses, ports, protocols)

• Identifying and Investigating Cyber Attacks

• Common types of network attacks (DDoS, Man-in-the-Middle, SQL injection)
• Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)
• Event correlation and incident response

Cyber Investigation Process

• Incident Response and Handling

• Steps in the incident response process (identification, containment, eradication, recovery, lessons learned)
• Incident response planning
• Forensic evidence collection during an active incident

• Case Studies

• Review of famous case studies (e.g., high-profile hacks, data breaches)
• Discussion on the application of forensics tools and techniques in real-world cyber investigations

DAY 4

Malware Forensics and Reverse Engineering

Malware Analysis Fundamentals

• Understanding Malware Types

• Viruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware, spyware
• Common attack vectors and infection methods

• Malware Analysis Techniques

• Static vs. dynamic analysis
• Sandbox environments (e.g., Cuckoo Sandbox)
• Signature-based vs. heuristic-based detection

Reverse Engineering Malware

• Introduction to Reverse Engineering

• Basic concepts and tools (e.g., IDA Pro, Ghidra, OllyDbg)
• Disassembling and debugging malicious code
• Identifying key behaviors of malware (e.g., C2 communication, persistence mechanisms)

• Case Study: Real-World Malware Investigation

• Analysis of a notable malware incident (e.g., WannaCry, Emotet)
• Discuss findings and how digital forensics tools helped in the investigation

DAY 5

Reporting, Documentation, and Case Presentation

Forensic Report Writing

• Forensic Report Essentials

• Importance of proper documentation
• Structure of a forensic report
• Writing for different audiences (legal, technical, corporate)

• Presenting Forensic Findings in Court

• Preparing for testimony
• Handling cross-examination and expert witness testimony
• Demonstrating evidence in court

Hands-on Case Study and Conclusion

• Practical Investigation: Full Case Study

• Participants work in groups on a mock investigation involving multiple types of digital evidence (hard drive, mobile phone, network traffic)
• Group discussion and analysis of evidence

• Final Presentation and Wrap-Up

• Group presentations of findings and investigative process
• Review of key concepts and tools covered in the course
• Q&A and feedback session

• Post-test