Duration 5 Days – 35 hrs.
Overview
The Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) Training Course equips participants with the knowledge, methodologies, and practical skills required to identify, collect, preserve, analyze, and present digital evidence during cybersecurity incidents and cybercrime investigations. The course focuses on digital forensics principles, computer crime investigation techniques, evidence handling procedures, forensic tools, and legal considerations involved in conducting professional forensic examinations.
Participants will learn how to investigate cyber incidents involving malware, insider threats, unauthorized access, data breaches, email attacks, network intrusions, and system compromises. Through hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios, learners will develop the ability to perform forensic acquisition, data recovery, log analysis, memory forensics, mobile forensics, network forensics, and incident response investigations while maintaining forensic integrity and chain of custody.
This course aligns with industry best practices in digital forensics, cybercrime investigation, incident response, and evidence management.
Objectives
- Understand digital forensics principles, methodologies, and investigative processes.
- Conduct computer crime investigations using accepted forensic procedures.
- Preserve and collect digital evidence while maintaining chain of custody.
- Perform forensic acquisition and imaging of storage media.
- Analyze file systems, deleted files, hidden data, and user activities.
- Investigate malware incidents and compromised systems.
- Conduct memory (RAM) forensic investigations.
- Analyze network traffic and intrusion evidence.
- Perform email and web browser forensic analysis.
- Investigate cyberattacks, insider threats, and data breaches.
- Utilize forensic tools for evidence collection and analysis.
- Prepare forensic reports suitable for management, legal, and law enforcement purposes.
- Understand legal, ethical, and compliance requirements in digital investigations.
Target Audience
- Digital Forensic Investigators
- Cybersecurity Analysts
- Incident Response Teams
- SOC Analysts
- Information Security Officers
- Cybercrime Investigators
- Law Enforcement Personnel
- IT Security Professionals
- Network Security Engineers
- Internal Auditors
- Risk and Compliance Professionals
- System Administrators
- Ethical Hackers and Penetration Testers
- Cybersecurity Consultants
Prerequisites
- Basic understanding of computer systems and operating systems
- Fundamental networking knowledge
- Basic cybersecurity concepts
- Familiarity with Windows and Linux environments
- Experience in IT administration or cybersecurity is beneficial but not mandatory
Course Outline
Day 1 – Foundations of Digital Forensics and Evidence Acquisition
Module 1: Introduction to Digital Forensics
- Digital forensics fundamentals
- Cybercrime landscape
- Types of cyber investigations
- Roles and responsibilities of forensic investigators
- Digital evidence lifecycle
Module 2: Digital Forensics Investigation Process
- Investigation methodology
- Evidence identification
- Preservation techniques
- Collection procedures
- Documentation standards
Module 3: Legal and Compliance Considerations
- Cybercrime laws and regulations
- Admissibility of evidence
- Chain of custody
- Rules of evidence
- Expert witness responsibilities
Module 4: Forensic Lab Setup
- Forensic workstation preparation
- Forensic hardware
- Write blockers
- Evidence storage management
- Laboratory best practices
Module 5: Evidence Acquisition and Imaging
- Disk imaging concepts
- Physical vs logical acquisition
- Bit-stream imaging
- Hash verification
- Integrity validation
Hands-On Laboratory
- Creating forensic images
- Verifying evidence integrity
- Maintaining chain of custody documentation
Day 2 – Disk, File System, and Operating System Forensics
Module 6: File System Forensics
- FAT/FAT32 analysis
- NTFS structures
- EXT file systems
- Metadata analysis
- Time-stamp investigations
Module 7: Windows Forensics
- Windows artifacts
- Registry analysis
- Event logs
- User activity reconstruction
- Startup programs and persistence
Module 8: Linux and Unix Forensics
- Linux log analysis
- User activity investigation
- File permissions and ownership
- System configuration review
Module 9: Data Recovery Techniques
- Deleted file recovery
- Recycle Bin analysis
- File carving
- Hidden partitions
- Slack space analysis
Module 10: Anti-Forensics Detection
- Data hiding techniques
- Log tampering
- Encryption usage
- Steganography overview
- Counter-forensic activities
Hands-On Laboratory
- File recovery exercises
- Registry examination
- Log investigation
- Timeline creation
Day 3 – Malware, Memory, Email, and Web Forensics
Module 11: Malware Forensics
- Malware categories
- Malware behavior analysis
- Indicators of compromise (IOCs)
- Persistence mechanisms
- Malware investigation workflow
Module 12: Memory (RAM) Forensics
- Memory acquisition techniques
- Volatile evidence collection
- Process analysis
- Network connections
- Malware detection in memory
Module 13: Email Forensics
- Email architecture
- Header analysis
- Email tracing
- Phishing investigations
- Email spoofing detection
Module 14: Web Browser Forensics
- Browser artifacts
- Download history
- Cache analysis
- Cookies and sessions
- Internet activity reconstruction
Hands-On Laboratory
- Memory acquisition
- Email investigation
- Browser artifact analysis
- Malware evidence review
Day 4 – Network Forensics and Incident Investigation
Module 15: Network Forensics Fundamentals
- Network investigation methodology
- Packet analysis
- Traffic capture techniques
- Network evidence collection
Module 16: Intrusion Investigation
- Detecting unauthorized access
- Attack reconstruction
- Network compromise analysis
- Lateral movement identification
Module 17: Log and Event Analysis
- Security logs
- Firewall logs
- IDS/IPS logs
- SIEM correlation techniques
Module 18: Cloud and Virtual Environment Forensics
- Cloud forensic challenges
- Virtual machine investigations
- Cloud evidence collection
- SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS considerations
Module 19: Insider Threat Investigations
- User behavior analysis
- Data exfiltration detection
- Access abuse investigations
- Evidence preservation
Hands-On Laboratory
- Packet capture analysis
- Intrusion reconstruction
- SIEM log review
- Cloud forensic scenarios
Day 5 – Mobile Forensics, Incident Response, and Reporting
Module 20: Mobile Device Forensics
- Mobile forensic principles
- Android investigations
- iOS investigations
- Mobile evidence acquisition
- Mobile application analysis
Module 21: Incident Response and Forensic Integration
- Incident response lifecycle
- Evidence handling during incidents
- Coordinating investigations
- Post-incident analysis
Module 22: Reporting and Documentation
- Forensic report writing
- Executive summaries
- Technical findings documentation
- Evidence presentation techniques
Module 23: Presenting Findings and Expert Testimony
- Courtroom preparation
- Stakeholder communication
- Investigation briefings
- Expert witness practices
Module 24: Emerging Trends in Digital Forensics
- AI-assisted investigations
- Cloud-native forensics
- IoT forensics
- Cryptocurrency investigations
- Future forensic technologies
Capstone Investigation Exercise
- End-to-end forensic investigation scenario
- Evidence acquisition
- Analysis and reporting
- Team presentation of findings
