Mobile Device Forensics in the Evolving World of Electronics

Here’s what you need to know about mobile device forensics:

• Mobile device forensics is a subfield of digital forensics that extracts and analyzes data from mobile devices in a forensically sound manner.
• The four stages of the mobile device forensics process are seizure, acquisition, analysis, and reporting
• Mobile device forensic analysts must be technically skilled and familiar with the legal issues surrounding digital evidence.

Digital technologies occupy an ever-increasing role in our lives. According to a 2021 Pew Research survey, 85 percent of people in the United States now own a smartphone—up from just 35 percent in 2011 (Pew Research, 2021). With millions of smartphones and other mobile devices in use daily, it’s no surprise that these gadgets contain massive quantities of potentially valuable information. Recovering, processing, and analyzing this information is the job of a mobile device forensic analyst. So, what is mobile device forensics exactly, and what are the benefits and use cases?

What is Mobile Device Forensics?

Mobile device forensics, also known as mobile forensics, is a subfield of digital forensics that involves extracting information from a mobile device (such as smartphones and tablets) in a forensically sound manner. The information obtained via mobile device forensics may include deleted files, application data, GPS data, call logs, text messages, and photographs and videos.

Like other domains of forensics, mobile device forensics is commonly used to recover evidence in connection with a criminal investigation. As such, mobile device forensic investigators must take care to retrieve and analyze data that is legally admissible as evidence.

Mobile device forensics has connections with other branches of digital forensics—such as network forensics, computer forensics, and malware analysis—in terms of the knowledge and skill set required. However, the distinguishing feature of mobile device forensics is that the extracted data is located on a mobile device.

Therefore, mobile device forensic analysts must be intimately familiar with mobile devices and their operating systems and file systems. They should also have experience with various software and hardware tools for extracting data from mobile devices. Finally, mobile device forensic analysts should have strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills and knowledge of the legal issues surrounding collecting data from mobile devices.

The Process of Mobile Device Forensics

There are four general steps to follow during a forensic investigation: identifying the evidence, acquiring the evidence, analyzing the evidence, and producing a forensic report. Below are these four steps as they pertain to the process of mobile device forensics:

1. Device seizure: First, the mobile device is seized from its user. At this stage, investigators should also start documenting the chain of custody. For example, the records of who handled the device and when. A search warrant is usually required if the device is used in a criminal investigation.
2. Device acquisition: Investigators create a sector-level duplicate of the device, a process known as “imaging” or “acquisition.” This duplicate image and the original device are passed through a hashing function, and their outputs are compared to ensure that it is an exact copy. Next, analysts decide on the investigation’s proper approach and goals.
3. Device analysis: Investigators begin work on the device image to confirm a hypothesis or search for hidden data. Specialized tools (such as those described in the next section) are used to help find and recover information. Data may be located within the accessible hard disk space, deleted (unallocated) disk space, or the operating system cache.
4. Reporting: After acquiring the data, investigators store and analyze it to reconstruct a plausible version of events. A report is prepared, which may be technical or non-technical, depending on the audience.

Mobile Device Forensics: Tools and Techniques

Mobile device forensic analysts use various tools and techniques to analyze devices. For example, there are multiple ways to extract information from a mobile device:

• Logical extraction: The device is connected to a forensics workstation via a hardware cable or a protocol such as Bluetooth. This approach is quick and relatively straightforward but also the most limited. Logical extraction tools include Oxygen Forensic Device Extractor and XRY Logical.
• Physical extraction (hex dump): The device’s flash memory is copied bit by bit. This approach is the most extensive but technically complex and dependent on the manufacturer. Physical extraction tools include Cellebrite UFED Physical Pro and XRY Physical.

Once a copy of the device has been made, investigators use other mobile device forensic tools to capture and analyze the data. OpenText EnCase Forensic and ILOOKix are two examples of digital forensics software applications for analyzing hard drives and mobile devices and recovering data and metadata.

What are the Scope and Uses of Mobile Device Forensics?

Mobile device forensics has three primary use cases: law enforcement, civil proceedings, and cybersecurity.

• Law enforcement: Mobile device forensics is a critical tool for law enforcement agencies. In many cases, the data on a mobile device can provide crucial evidence in a criminal investigation.
• Civil investigations: Mobile device forensics can also assist civil proceedings and litigation. Digital forensic investigators have successfully used data in various civil cases, including contract violations, whistleblower allegations, and divorce and custody.
• Cybersecurity: Cybercriminals use many different entry points to gain access to a network, including mobile devices. Forensic investigators can use mobile device forensics to reconstruct an attack and understand how malicious actors exploit security vulnerabilities on the device.

The Benefits and Challenges of Mobile Device Forensics

There are a wide range of benefits of mobile device forensics. Mobile device forensics can often recover information deleted or hidden on a device, providing critical evidence in an investigation. As a branch of forensics, mobile device forensics also ensures that the data extracted by investigators is admissible in court.

Despite the advantages of mobile device forensics, the field also has challenges. Mobile devices, their operating systems, and the tools and techniques used to analyze them constantly evolve. Forensic analysts also need to strictly adhere to the applicable laws, regulations, and protocols to ensure their conclusions can be used in an investigation.

Source: eccouncil.org

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Role of Forensics in Making a SOC Ready (C|HFI)

Organizations are under near-constant cyberattacks and must prepare to respond to any type of incident. One key piece of an effective security operations center (SOC) is having skilled forensic analysts who can quickly identify and mitigate incidents. Here we will discuss the role of forensics in making a SOC ready and explore the benefits of having a dedicated forensics team in your organization. In addition, we will provide tips on getting started in forensics if you want to become a forensic analyst.

How Does Forensic Readiness Help a SOC?

Forensic readiness is critical for any organization that wants to respond effectively to a security incident. A SOC that doesn’t prepare for forensics will likely struggle to collect the necessary data and may even miss important evidence.

When an incident occurs, the first step is to identify what happened and where. This information then determines the type of forensic analysis needed. The next step is to collect the evidence, which can be challenging, as many organizations do not clearly understand what data needs to be collected. In some cases, organizations are unaware of all the data within their network.

Once the evidence is there, the analysis must begin. This process can be time-consuming and require specialized skills. However, ensuring that the correct information is gathered and following any potential leads is critical.

Organizations should make forensic readiness a priority for their SOC. By doing so, they can ensure that they prepare properly to respond effectively to incidents and collect the necessary data. Doing so will also help to improve the overall security of the organization. (Isaca.org., 2014)

Factors To Consider for Forensic Readiness

Many factors contribute to a strong forensic readiness posture. One of the most important is having a robust incident response plan, which helps an organization rapidly identify, contain, and resolve security incidents. It should also include provisions for collecting and preserving evidence so that professionals can analyze it later.

Another important factor in forensic readiness is the right tools and technologies. This includes hardware and software tools that collect, preserve, and analyze evidence from a security incident. For example, many organizations use digital forensics tools to help them understand what happened during an incident. These tools can examine system logs, network traffic, and other forms of data to reconstruct what occurred.

Finally, having the right people to respond to incidents is also important. This includes having trained staff who are familiar with the organization’s incident response plan and know how to properly use the available tools and technologies. By having the right team in place, an organization can ensure that its response to incidents is swift and effective.

By taking these steps, an organization can be ready to respond quickly and effectively to any security incident.

The Cost and Benefits of Forensic Readiness to An Organization

The benefits of being forensic-ready are numerous. Most importantly, it can help an organization avoid or mitigate reputational damage in the event of a data breach. Additionally, it can help ensure that any legal requirements are met, and that critical evidence is not lost. Furthermore, being prepared can help speed up the forensic investigation process and improve the chances of a successful prosecution if criminal activity occurs.

The cost of being forensic-ready can vary depending on the size and complexity of an organization, but it is typically not overly expensive. The most significant costs are usually associated with setting up the necessary systems and processes and training staff members to use them. However, these upfront costs are typically more than offset by the benefits of being prepared for a digital forensic investigation (Sachowski., 2016).

All organizations should carefully consider the cost and benefits of forensic readiness. While the initial investment is required, the long-term benefits of being prepared far outweigh the costs. Organizations that don’t prepare may find themselves at a significant disadvantage if they ever face a digital forensic investigation.

Forensics is a critical piece in the puzzle of making a SOC ready. By understanding and implementing forensic readiness, you are taking an important step in protecting your organization against cybercrime. The benefits of being forensic-ready far outweigh the costs, so it’s important to consider all factors when deciding.

Source: eccouncil.org

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A Sneak Peek into the EC-Council CHFI Certification Salary

Due to the increasing technological sophistication of cyber criminals and their more frequent distribution of malicious code to computers around the globe, the online world has become a perilous environment. Companies worldwide hire cyber crime experts who can think creatively to prevent network intrusions, identity theft, data theft, and other related crimes. Among the most highly sought-after certifications for cyber crime specialists in today's world is the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator - CHFI certification.

Obtaining the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator certification enables professionals to acquire expertise and understanding in particular security areas of computer forensics, such as Password Cracking Concepts, log capturing tools, wireless attacks, network traffic, Access Data FTK, and numerous other related topics.

Why Is EC-Council CHFI in Such High Demand?

The CHFI certification is granted by EC-Council, also recognized as the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants. It's a comprehensive and thorough certification program that equips experts with the skills to identify and respond to hacker attacks using a variety of evidence-gathering techniques, reporting the crime, performing audits, and implementing necessary measures to prevent future attacks.

After obtaining the EC-Council Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator certification, professionals acquire additional qualifications as they are capable of fulfilling the diverse standards of CNSS 4011-4016 Federal Security Certification Training. Consequently, companies are willing to provide attractive remuneration packages to qualified candidates.

CHFI Certification Salary

Professionals with EC-Council CHFI certification can expect to earn an annual salary between $85,000 and $120,000 on average.

Individuals with over five years of experience in managing challenging projects and working in the same industry can anticipate receiving higher salary packages. The remuneration not only depends on their experience but also on the type of employer and their specific skills or expertise.

Companies are looking for individuals who hold a CHFI certification to manage diverse areas of cybersecurity, which include conducting investigations on cybercrime, assessing digital evidence, securing and analyzing electronic crime scenes, retrieving erased files, utilizing techniques such as Steganalysis, managing logs, and investigating email-related crimes.

Positions Available for EC-Council CHFI Certified Professionals

Starting roles for individuals with CHFI certification consist of positions such as information security analyst and forensic computer analyst, both with an average minimum salary of $53,717 and $37,340, respectively.

Intermediate and advanced level job positions consist of Security Engineer, Information Security Engineer, and IT Director.

What Distinguishes CHFI From Other Cybersecurity Certifications

EC-Council CHFI certification primarily focuses on analytical methods, forensic tools, and different procedures utilized in detecting, safeguarding, preserving, and analyzing computer forensic evidence. The fundamental objective is to equip certified professionals with the ability to implement various computer investigation and analysis techniques to identify potential legal evidence.

The CHFI certification program has received accreditation from the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) and the National Security Agency (NSA). Additionally, the National Infocomm Competency Framework (NICF) recognizes the certification as a requirement for professional competency.

As the internet remains an integral part of society and cybercrime continues to increase, CHFI certification provides numerous opportunities for professionals. With cybersecurity becoming a growing concern for organizations worldwide, individuals with Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator certification can anticipate a future of career growth and advancement.

Related Read: CHFI Certification Value: Why You Need the Certification?

Who Can Benefit From Acquiring CHFI Certification?

The group of professionals who should pursue CHFI certification includes:

IT managers

Law enforcement personnel

e-Business Security professionals

Legal professionals

Systems administrators

Insurance, Banking, and other professionals

Government agencies

Defense and Military personnel

Looking for CHFI Certification?

To earn CHFI certification, passing the CHFI exam is a requirement, which assesses knowledge in areas such as gathering, analyzing, and presenting digital evidence; computer and network forensics; investigating cybercrime; and understanding legal aspects related to forensics.

Prior to attempting the CHFI exam, you shoud meet CHFI certification requirements. It is advisable to have a minimum of two years of experience in information security or a related field. Additionally, familiarity with digital forensics tools and techniques is also suggested.

To get ready for the CHFI exam, you can enroll in a CHFI training course, which can be done either in person or online. EC-Council provides authorized CHFI training courses, along with several other resources like study guides and practice exams, to aid in exam preparation.

After successfully passing the CHFI exam, you will obtain the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator certification that remains valid for three years. To sustain your certification, you need to either earn continuing education credits or retake the CHFI exam before the expiration date.

Join the ranks of Computer Hacking Forensic Investigators – start your journey now!

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The Importance of Cyber Forensics Professionals in 2022 and Beyond

Cyber forensics professionals are investigators that respond to cybercrime and serious data breaches. Organizations need cyber forensics to answer vital questions such as – what happened, how it happened, how bad it is, and who’s responsible.

A cyber forensic expert uses sophisticated techniques to get to the bottom of each incident. Their investigation is meticulous, focusing on creating a reliable evidence chain. The evidence they produce is admissible in court, which can help settle lawsuits—and bring cybercriminals to justice.

This kind of investigation is essential at a time when cybercrime is skyrocketing. The FBI’s digital unit investigated $6.9 billion in cyber fraud in 2021—a 500% increase in just five years (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2021). The threat is real. That’s why there’s a growing demand for skilled, certified cyber forensics professionals.

What is Cyber Forensics?

Cyber forensics is the discipline of studying digital sources to find reliable evidence of serious data security incidents. A cyber forensics investigation involves looking for clues from sources such as physical devices, network logs, databases, and cloud services. The investigator will attempt to restore deleted data and may even search the dark web for information.

Data integrity is the most crucial part of cyber forensics. If there is any data loss or contamination, it could undermine the whole investigation. That’s why digital forensics analysts always follow a strict process:

1. Identification: Find all data sources that might have relevant information.

2. Preservation: Secure the data to prevent erasure, tampering, or contamination.

3. Analysis: Put all the data together and establish what happened.

4. Documentation: Build a detailed timeline of all known events and actors involved in the incident.

5. Presentation: Summarize the findings in an appropriate format.

Cyber forensics is a vitally important job, and not only in the fight against cybercrime. Digital evidence now plays a role in over 90% of all criminal trials (Yawn, 2015). Justice depends on having access to digital evidence that is reliable, objective, and accurate.

Why is There a Growing Demand for Certified Cyber Forensics?

Businesses are currently fighting for their lives against the constant threat of cyberattacks. Data breaches are expensive, costing up to $180 per individual record compromised (IBM, 2021). A data breach can also expose a business to sabotage, espionage, or extortion.

Responding to security incidents isn’t easy. It can take up to 287 days—over nine months—to identify and repair a data breach (IBM, 2021). During that time, the organization will lose vital data that could help track down the criminals responsible.

To fight back, many companies are hiring extra in-house computer forensics experts or working with forensic cybersecurity consultants. These experts are helping to deal with a wave of new threats, including:

◉ Rapidly changing technology: Sudden changes in information technology infrastructure can create new risks. For example, the switch to remote work during Covid led to a 220% increase in phishing attacks (Warburton, 2021).

◉ IoT vulnerabilities: There are over 13 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices online (Statista, 2021). Not all these devices are secure, making them targets for hackers. These devices can also serve as hosting grounds for botnet attacks.

◉ Cryptocurrency: Cryptocurrency is hard to trace. That makes things much easier for ransomware attackers and much harder for cyber forensics analysts. $14 billion of criminal activity involved cryptocurrency in 2021, up 79% in 2020. (Chavez-Dreyfuss, 2022)

◉ Accessible hacking tools: Wannabe cybercriminals can now pay to access sophisticated hacking tools. This ease of access means more frequent attacks and more pressure on cyber defenses.

◉ Anti-forensics techniques: Criminals keep finding new ways to cover their tracks. Evolving anti-forensics techniques can make detecting and investigating a cyber-attack even harder.

The average business spends 10% of its annual IT budget on cybersecurity (Deloitte, 2020), most of which goes on prevention. But, when their defenses fail, those companies need cyber forensic professionals to investigate and find answers—fast.

Is Cyber Forensics a Promising Career?

As long as there is cybercrime, there will be a demand for cyber forensic analysts.

Full-time salaries for digital forensics professionals average at around $74,902 (Payscale, 2022). You can also work as a private consultant, which would mean billing clients according to your hourly rates.

You will need strong technical training and IT knowledge to succeed as a cyber forensic professional. You’ll also need the right qualifications (see next section) and experience in cybersecurity.

Most of all, you will need the right personal qualities, such as:

 

◉ Curiosity: You’ll need an insatiable desire to find the truth. A cyber forensic professional will ask questions, chase every lead, and explore every possible data source in the search for clues.

◉ Attention to detail: You’ll need to be able to spot patterns and clues in the smallest traces of data. You’ll also need to be painstaking in following the correct process.

◉ Continuous learning: Hacking techniques are constantly evolving—and so are anti-forensics strategies. You’ll need a voracious appetite for learning about the latest trends.

◉ Strong communication: You may need to present your evidence to non-technical people. Can you explain your findings to executives, law enforcement, or even a jury?

Cyber forensics can be a steppingstone to a senior career in cybersecurity. This path can lead to jobs like security architect or Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

How to Become a Certified Cyber Forensics Professional

If you think cyber forensics is the right choice for you, then here’s the good news: there’s never been a better time to start.

Employers need cybersecurity people at all levels, from entry-level cyber forensics positions to senior consultants. These positions allow you to get hands-on experience and to see how cyber forensics works in the real world.

Some training options can help make you eligible to apply for vacancies. Here are a few cyber forensic courses to consider:

◉ Beginner: Got an IT background and are looking to pivot to security? Consider a security basics course. The Certified Network Defender program is an excellent place to start. You will learn about entry-level cyber forensics techniques, including risk anticipation, threat assessment, and endpoint security.

◉ Intermediate: What if you have security experience and want to develop your skills? A qualification such as Cyber Threat Intelligence Training gives an in-depth guide to threat analysis. You’ll also learn some of the data-gathering techniques involved in an investigation.

◉ Cyber forensics professional: When you’re ready for a serious career in cyber forensics, you can enroll in a program such as Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (C|HFI) program. Here, you’ll gain in-depth knowledge about conducting a cyber forensics investigation on any platform and methods for counteracting anti-forensics techniques.

The C|HFI program from EC-Council is the only comprehensive, ANSI accredited, and lab-focused program in the market that gives vendor-neutral training in cyber forensics. In addition, it is the only program covering IoT Forensics and Darkweb Forensics.

Source: eccouncil.org

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Everything You Need to Know About Cloud Forensics

Introduction

Cloud computing has gone from cutting-edge technology to a best practice for businesses of all sizes and industries. According to Flexera’s State of the Cloud report, 94% of companies now leverage cloud computing.

With the cloud in such widespread usage, it’s no surprise that cloud forensics is growing in popularity. One of the most important cloud security best practices have cloud forensic investigators ready after a cybersecurity incident.

Read More: 312-50: Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

So what is cloud forensics, exactly? Cloud forensics involves applying digital forensics and crime investigation techniques to cloud computing environments. This article will discuss everything you need to know about cloud forensics, including cloud forensic techniques, challenges, and how to become a cloud forensic expert.

What Is Cloud Forensics?

If you’re reading this, you’re likely already familiar with cloud computing: a technology that delivers various on-demand computing services to users over the Internet. These services include applications, databases, servers, networking, and more—all available on a rental or “pay as you go” basis.

Cloud forensics refers to the use of forensic techniques to investigate cloud environments. When unlawful or criminal behavior has occurred using the cloud as a medium, cloud forensics experts use their skills and knowledge to detect the individuals or groups responsible. Cloud forensics encompasses users of the cloud, both victims and perpetrators. For example, a company using cloud servers might be the victim of a data breach or denial of the service incident. Criminals themselves might also use the cloud to launch an attack.

As with other subfields of forensics, cloud forensic investigators must follow strict regulations to ensure their work is admissible in a court of law. This may involve obtaining court orders to search a cloud server, ensuring evidence has not been tampered with, and other necessary precautions.

Cloud forensics jobs are usually listed under titles such as “forensic computer analyst,” “IT security analyst,” and “cyber investigator.” According to PayScale, the median U.S. salary for these jobs ranges from roughly $60,000 to $100,000. These individuals may be employed by governments, law enforcement agencies, and large companies such as banks and healthcare organizations that are common cybercrime targets. They may work in-house or provide their services as external contractors.

There’s no universally agreed upon background necessary for cloud analytics jobs, and each organization will have its own criteria. Most employers look for candidates with at least a bachelor’s degree, although not necessarily in computer science or information technology. Going through cloud forensics training (such as a certification program) is usually essential, but some people can bypass this requirement with enough experience.

How Is Digital Forensics Different from Cloud Forensics?

Digital forensics is a branch of forensics that works with electronic devices and data to detect crimes, examine the paths of criminals, and analyze and preserve evidence for the use of law enforcement and prosecutors.

The domain of digital forensics encompasses a wide range of components in the IT environment: hard drives and other storage media; individual files; Internet and other networks; emails; mobile devices; databases; operating systems; computer memory; and more.

Some examples of popular digital forensics tools are:

◉ The Sleuth Kit (TSK) extracts information from hard disks and other storage

◉ Autopsy, a tool for examining hard disks that provides data on the operating system, owner, users, applications, Internet history, deleted files, etc.

◉ Volatility, an open-source framework for analyzing computer memory

Once these tools have identified potential evidence, digital forensic experts can use a write blocker to securely copy the data to another location, recover hidden or deleted files, decrypt encrypted files, and more.

Cloud forensics can be considered a subset of digital forensics with a particular focus on cloud computing — and, thus, a subset of the broader sphere of forensic science. Many cloud forensic techniques and tools are therefore common in digital forensics. Like digital forensics, cloud forensic experts must work with diverse computing assets: servers, networks, applications, databases and storage, and more.

However, several factors make cloud forensics distinct from its parent field of digital forensics. Perhaps the biggest distinction is that cloud forensic investigators often lack physical access to the investigated systems and environments. This fact significantly affects how cloud forensic investigations are carried out, as we’ll see in the next section.

Challenges of Cloud Forensics

As you can imagine, several cloud forensics challenges are unique to this field. The challenges of cloud forensics include both legal and technical difficulties. The potential issues with cloud forensic analysis include:

◉ Jurisdiction complications: Cloud services are often hosted in different states or countries from the user’s location. Users can sometimes — but not always — choose this location. Google, for example, has cloud servers in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. This can create complications when determining which jurisdiction has authority over the crime.

◉ Instability: In traditional digital forensics investigations, the IT environment is often “frozen” to prevent interruptions or further issues while investigators complete their work. However, this is usually impossible with public cloud providers, which may serve thousands or millions of customers. Instead, the environment remains live and changeable (and therefore, potentially unstable.

◉ Physical access: In some cases, physically inspecting a cloud server can help with forensics. However, this is a challenge with large cloud providers, which enact strict security regulations to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the premises. In addition, as mentioned above, there’s no guarantee that the cloud server will be physically located close to the investigator.

◉ Decentralization: Cloud providers often store files across several machines or data centers to improve data availability and reliability. This decentralization and fragmentation make it more challenging to identify the problem and perform forensics.

◉ Unavailable or deleted data: Cloud providers may differ in terms of the information they provide to investigators. For example, log files may not be available. In addition, if the crime resulted in data being deleted, it becomes a challenge to reconstruct this data, identify the owner, and use it in cloud forensic analysis.

How to Become a Cloud Forensics Expert

Being a cloud forensics expert can be an exciting and rewarding job. Applying your technical knowledge and experience can help solve crimes and bring the perpetrators of cyberattacks to justice. One pertaining question remains: how do you become a cloud forensic expert?

Obtaining a cloud forensics certification is an excellent start if you want to begin a career as a cloud forensic professional. Cloud forensics certifications prove to potential employers that you have the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to help investigate crimes in the cloud.

EC-Council offers the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (C|HFI) certification to help jumpstart your cybersecurity career. This program verifies that the learner has the necessary skills to proactively investigate complex security threats, allowing them to investigate, record, and report cybercrimes to prevent future attacks.

Taking the C|HFI course and passing the certification exam is the perfect way to show businesses that you have the skills for a job in cloud forensics. Want to learn more about how to become a cloud forensic expert? Check out EC-Council’s page on the C|HFI certification.

Source: eccouncil.org

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The Evolving Role of Cyber Forensics in Criminal Cases

The world has become increasingly digital in recent years, a trend that has affected every aspect of daily life. We’re now seeing the use of cyber forensics in criminal cases, among other areas of the justice system. From the local to international levels, cybersecurity experts have been tasked with assisting investigators in both solving crimes and exonerating the wrongfully accused.

Forensics Experts Make It Hard to Be a Cybercriminal

When most people think of cyber forensics in criminal cases, they immediately think of computer crimes. This is a solid assumption—after all, cybercrime has increased significantly in recent years. While the risks of phishing have long been an issue, hackers now have complex tools we once never imagined that enable them to do damage even without a social engineering aspect.

Digital forensics experts can track down illicit bank accounts, identify the source of attacks, spot system inadequacies, and perform a variety of other complex activities. Some of the biggest cybercrimes have led to billions of dollars in losses (EC-Council, 2017; Yakowicz, 2015), but digital forensic investigators have found tools to combat these attacks. Applying cyber forensics in criminal cases makes it possible to catch cybercriminals, serving as a major deterrent to computer crimes.

Collection of Criminal Evidence

When people think of forensics, they often envision scenes from the television show CSI, with professionals combing through evidence at crime scenes. Many of those interested in becoming digital forensic investigators know the situation is similar for cyber forensics: Digital forensics professionals also seek out evidence, but they’re looking at a computer rather than a dark alley.

This evidence can come in many forms—for example, digital footprints left by a hacker after infiltrating a system. Cyber forensics in criminal cases has also shown great promise in identifying fraud. Defendants have been convicted of sexual crimes, murder, and terrorism thanks to forensics experts’ ability to access encrypted data.

Exonerating the Innocent

Recent media coverage of wrongful convictions has led many people to defendant advocacy. While cyber forensics typically serves the prosecution in criminal cases, this isn’t always the case. For instance, the Digital Evidence Innocence Initiative is devoted to overturning wrongful convictions using digital evidence.

Unfortunately, individuals can only be exonerated after they’ve already been convicted. Criminal defendants are at a distinct disadvantage during trial since they don’t have the digital access that prosecutors do. While the state can subpoena service providers, defendants don’t have this option—but a cyber forensics expert can still find evidence to prove a convicted party’s innocence after the fact.

Fixing the Investigative Backlog with New Cybersecurity Professionals

One of the biggest hurdles that the cybersecurity industry will face in the coming years is attrition. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022) projects that there will be over 16,000 new job openings for information security analysts each year until 2030, many of them due to professionals changing industries or leaving the workforce. This shortage is a good thing for those who want to enter the field.

Regardless of your current role in cybersecurity, now is the perfect time to enter the criminal justice field as a digital forensics investigator. There is a significant evidence and investigative backlog that digital analysis could solve, including at the international level (Barnes & Sanger, 2021). Without qualified professionals in the field, the best cyber forensics tools could be useless in the criminal justice system.

Reopening and Solving Cold Cases

Although the shortage of available cyber forensics professionals in criminal cases is worrying, heightened interest in solving cold cases could change this. Computer hacking forensic experts are essential in contemporary investigations, but some older cases never even involved a computer and have ended up as cold cases

However, entering old evidence into expanding databases has proven powerful in remedying this issue. Sometimes, simply organizing data can crack a long-forgotten case. The ability to collect information from old hard drives is also a useful tool for investigators, who’ve used it to solve famous cold cases (Eclipse Forensics, 2021).

Enter the World of Digital Forensic Investigation ​

Forensics is one of the most popular areas of the criminal justice system. Unfortunately, many of those interested in a role in this field as a digital forensic investigator don’t have the cybersecurity skills they need to begin their careers. If you’re interested in a career in criminal justice as a cyber forensic investigator, now is the time to start.

EC-Council’s Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator (C|HFI) program, which focuses on digital forensics and evidence analysis, is lab driven and ANSI accredited. It’s ideal for everyone from IT professionals looking to switch fields to current cyber forensics experts looking to fortify their knowledge. Start your C|HFI certification today and advance your career in this exciting field.

Source: eccouncil.org

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Cyber Forensics

Cyber forensics is a process of extracting data as proof for a crime (that involves electronic devices) while following proper investigation rules to nab the culprit by presenting the evidence to the court. Cyber forensics is also known as computer forensics. The main aim of cyber forensics is to maintain the thread of evidence and documentation to find out who did the crime digitally. Cyber forensics can do the following:

◉ It can recover deleted files, chat logs, emails, etc

◉ It can also get deleted SMS, Phone calls.

◉ It can get recorded audio of phone conversations.

◉ It can determine which user used which system and for how much time.

◉ It can identify which user ran which program.

Why is cyber forensics important?

In todays technology driven generation, the importance of cyber forensics is immense. Technology combined with forensic forensics paves the way for quicker investigations and accurate results. Below are the points depicting the importance of cyber forensics:

◉ Cyber forensics helps in collecting important digital evidence to trace the criminal.

◉ Electronic equipment stores massive amounts of data that a normal person fails to see. For example: in a smart house, for every word we speak, actions performed by smart devices, collect huge data which is crucial in cyber forensics.

◉ It is also helpful for innocent people to prove their innocence via the evidence collected online.

◉ It is not only used to solve digital crimes but also used to solve real-world crimes like theft cases, murder, etc.

◉ Businesses are equally benefitted from cyber forensics in tracking system breaches and finding the attackers.

How did Cyber Forensics Experts work?

Cyber forensics is a field that follows certain procedures to find the evidence to reach conclusions after proper investigation of matters. The procedures that cyber forensic experts follow are:

◉ Identification: The first step of cyber forensics experts are to identify what evidence is present, where it is stored, and in which format it is stored.

◉ Preservation: After identifying the data the next step is to safely preserve the data and not allow other people to use that device so that no one can tamper data.

◉ Analysis: After getting the data, the next step is to analyze the data or system. Here the expert recovers the deleted files and verifies the recovered data and finds the evidence that the criminal tried to erase by deleting secret files. This process might take several iterations to reach the final conclusion.

◉ Documentation: Now after analyzing data a record is created. This record contains all the recovered and available(not deleted) data which helps in recreating the crime scene and reviewing it.

◉ Presentation: This is the final step in which the analyzed data is presented in front of the court to solve cases.

Types of computer forensics

There are multiple types of computer forensics depending on the field in which digital investigation is needed. The fields are:

◉ Network forensics: This involves monitoring and analyzing the network traffic to and from the criminal’s network. The tools used here are network intrusion detection systems and other automated tools.

◉ Email forensics: In this type of forensics, the experts check the email of the criminal and recover deleted email threads to extract out crucial information related to the case.

◉ Malware forensics: This branch of forensics involves hacking related crimes. Here, the forensics expert examines the malware, trojans to identify the hacker involved behind this.

◉ Memory forensics: This branch of forensics deals with collecting data from the memory(like cache, RAM, etc.) in raw and then retrieve information from that data.

◉ Mobile Phone forensics: This branch of forensics generally deals with mobile phones. They examine and analyze data from the mobile phone.

◉ Database forensics: This branch of forensics examines and analyzes the data from databases and their related metadata.

◉ Disk forensics: This branch of forensics extracts data from storage media by searching modified,  active, or deleted files.

Techniques that cyber forensic investigators use

Cyber forensic investigators use various techniques and tools to examine the data and some of the commonly used techniques are:

◉ Reverse steganography: Steganography is a method of hiding important data inside the digital file, image, etc. So, cyber forensic experts do reverse steganography to analyze the data and find a relation with the case.

◉ Stochastic forensics: In Stochastic forensics, the experts analyze and reconstruct digital activity without using digital artifacts. Here, artifacts mean unintended alterations of data that occur from digital processes.

◉ Cross-drive analysis: In this process, the information found on multiple computer drives is correlated and cross-references to analyze and preserve information that is relevant to the investigation.

◉ Live analysis: In this technique, the computer of criminals is analyzed from within the OS in running mode. It aims at the volatile data of RAM to get some valuable information.

◉ Deleted file recovery: This includes searching for memory to find fragments of a partially deleted file in order to recover it for evidence purposes.

Advantages

◉ Cyber forensics ensures the integrity of the computer.

◉ Through cyber forensics, many people, companies, etc get to know about such crimes, thus taking proper measures to avoid them.

◉ Cyber forensics find evidence from digital devices and then present them in court, which can lead to the punishment of the culprit.

◉ They efficiently track down the culprit anywhere in the world.

◉ They help people or organizations to protect their money and time.

◉ The relevant data can be made trending and be used in making the public aware of it.

What are the required set of skills needed to be a cyber forensic expert?

The following skills are required to be a cyber forensic expert: 

◉ As we know, cyber forensic based on technology. So, knowledge of various technologies, computers, mobile phones, network hacks, security breaches, etc. is required.

◉ The expert should be very attentive while examining a large amount of data to identify proof/evidence.

◉ The expert must be aware of criminal laws, a criminal investigation, etc.

◉ As we know, over time technology always changes, so the experts must be updated with the latest technology.

◉ Cyber forensic experts must be able to analyse the data, derive conclusions from it and make proper interpretations.

◉ The communication skill of the expert must be good so that while presenting evidence in front of the court, everyone understands each detail with clarity.

◉ The expert must have strong knowledge of basic cyber security.

Source: geeksforgeeks.org

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Digital Forensics in Information Security

Digital Forensics is a branch of forensic science which includes the identification, collection, analysis and reporting any valuable digital information in the digital devices related to the computer crimes, as a part of the investigation.

Read More: 312-49: Computer Hacking Forensic Investigation

In simple words, Digital Forensics is the process of identifying, preserving, analyzing and presenting digital evidences. The first computer crimes were recognized in the 1978 Florida computers act and after this, the field of digital forensics grew pretty fast in the late 1980-90’s. It includes the area of analysis like storage media, hardware, operating system, network and applications.

It consists of 5 steps at high level:

1. Identification of evidence:

It includes of identifying evidences related to the digital crime in storage media, hardware, operating system, network and/or applications. It is the most important and basic step.

2. Collection:

It includes preserving the digital evidences identified in the first step so that they doesn’t degrade to vanish with time. Preserving the digital evidences is very important and crucial.

3. Analysis:

It includes analyzing the collected digital evidences of the committed computer crime in order to trace the criminal and possible path used to breach into the system.

4. Documentation:

It includes the proper documentation of the whole digital investigation, digital evidences, loop holes of the attacked system etc. so that the case can be studied and analysed in future also and can be presented in the court in a proper format.

5. Presentation:

It includes the presentation of all the digital evidences and documentation in the court in order to prove the digital crime committed and identify the criminal.

Branches of Digital Forensics:

◉ Media forensics:

It is the branch of digital forensics which includes identification, collection, analysis and presentation of audio, video and image evidences during the investigation process.

◉ Cyber forensics:

It is the branch of digital forensics which includes identification, collection, analysis and presentation of digital evidences during the investigation of a cyber crime.

◉ Mobile forensics:

It is the branch of digital forensics which includes identification, collection, analysis and presentation of digital evidences during the investigation of a crime committed through a mobile device like mobile phones, GPS device, tablet, laptop.

◉ Sofware forensics:

It is the branch of digital forensics which includes identification, collection, analysis and presentation of digital evidences during the investigation of a crime related to softwares only.

Source: geeksforgeeks.org

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What is an Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator?

What is a Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator?

Computer hacking forensic investigation is the process of detecting hacking attacks and properly extracting evidence to report the crime and conduct audits to prevent future attacks.

Computer crime in today’s cyber world is on the rise. Computer Investigation techniques are being used by police, government and corporate entities globally and many of them turn to EC-Council for our Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator CHFI Certification Program. Computer Security and Computer investigations are changing terms. More tools are invented daily for conducting Computer Investigations, be it computer crime, digital forensics, computer investigations, or even standard computer data recovery, The tools and techniques covered in EC-Council’s CHFI program will prepare the student to conduct computer investigations using groundbreaking digital forensics technologies.

Read More: 312-49: Computer Hacking Forensic Investigation

Computer forensics is simply the application of computer investigation and analysis techniques in the interests of determining potential legal evidence. Evidence might be sought in a wide range of computer crime or misuse, including but not limited to theft of trade secrets, theft of or destruction of intellectual property, and fraud. CHFI investigators can draw on an array of methods for discovering data that resides in a computer system, or recovering deleted, encrypted, or damaged file information known as computer data recovery.

Electronic evidence is critical in the following situations:

◉ Disloyal employees

◉ Computer break-ins

◉ Possession of pornography

◉ Breach of contract

◉ Industrial espionage

◉ E-mail Fraud

◉ Bankruptcy

◉ Disputed dismissals

◉ Web page defacements

◉ Theft of company documents.

Become a Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator

The CHFI certification validate the candidate’s skills to identify an intruder’s footprints and to properly gather the necessary evidence to prosecute in the court of law.

Certification Target Audience

◉ Police and other law enforcement personnel

◉ Defense and Military personnel

◉ e-Business Security professionals

◉ Systems administrators

◉ Legal professionals

◉ Banking, Insurance and other professionals

◉ Government agencies

◉ IT managers

Exam Information

The CHFI certification is awarded after successfully passing the exam EC0 312-49.

CHFI EC0 312-49 exams are available at ECC exam center around the world.

CHFI Exam Details

CHFI Exam Details
Duration	4 Hours
Questions	150

Passing Criteria:

In order to maintain the high integrity of our certifications exams, EC-Council Exams are provided in multiple forms (I.e. different question banks). Each form is carefully analyzed through beta testing with an appropriate sample group under the purview of a committee of subject matter experts that ensure that each of our exams not only have academic rigor but also have "real world" applicability. We also have a process to determine the difficulty rating of each question . The individual rating then contributes to an overall "Cut Score" for each exam form. To ensure each form has equal assessment standards, cut scores are set on a "per exam form" basis. Depending on which exam form is challenged, cut scores can range from 60% to 85%.

Clause: Age Requirements and Policies Concerning Minors

The age requirement for attending the training or attempting the exam is restricted to any candidate that is at least 18 years old.

If the candidate is under the age of 18, they are not eligible to attend the official training or eligible to attempt the certification exam unless they provide the accredited training center/EC-Council a written consent of their parent/legal guardian and a supporting letter from their institution of higher learning. Only applicants from nationally accredited institution of higher learning shall be considered.

Source: cert.eccouncil.org

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What is Steganalysis? How to Successfully Identify Steganography?

Steganography and Steganalysis are two different sides of the same coin. Therefore, do not confuse both of them to be the same. Steganography is the method of hiding messages in plain sight. Whereas, Steganalysis tries to detect the hidden message and retrieve the embedded data. Being said that, cyber-criminals are extensively using Steganography to hide incriminating material in their possession. Therefore, having an understanding about Steganalysis and learning the art of detecting hidden messages plays a very important role in computer forensics.

In this article, we will discuss Steganalysis, how to identify steganography, and the tools required for Steganalysis.

What Is Steganalysis In Computer Forensics?

Steganalysis in computer forensics is the technology of defeating steganography by identifying the hidden information, extracting it, and destroying it. Being said that, anyone who makes use of Steganalysis for detecting and defeating the hidden information is referred to as a Steganalyst.

The overall purpose of Steganalysis in computer forensics to identify the existence of a hidden message is to identify the tools which were used to hide the message in the first place. If the Steganalyst is able to identify the tool that was used for hiding the message, then the analyst can use the same tool for extracting the original message and subsequently destroying that message. Being said that, some of the most common hiding techniques includes appending to a file, hidden information in the unused header portion of the file, or the algorithm which is used to disperse the hidden message throughout the file.

How to Identify Steganography

There are a number of different methods of identifying steganography based on the kind of information available with the analyst. The following are some of them.

1. Stego-only attack – In this type of attack, only the stego-object is available for analysis with the Steganalyst.

2. Known cover attack – In this type of attack, both the stego-object and the original medium is available with the Steganalyst. Being said that, the stego-object is compared with the original medium to determine any hidden information.

3. Known message attack – In this type of attack, the hidden message as well as the corresponding stego-image are known to the Steganalyst. The patterns which corresponds to the information being hidden can help in discovering the information in future.

4. Known stego attack – In such attack, both the stenography algorithm as well as the stego-object and original object are known to the Steganalyst.

5. Chosen stego attack – In such attack, both the stenography algorithm as well as the stego-object are known to the Steganalyst.

6. Chosen message attack – In such attack, the Steganalyst generates the stego-object by using a tool or algorithm of the chosen message. The overall goal is to understand the patterns in the stego-object.

Digital Forensic Tools Required For Steganalysis

Stegdetect is one of the most commonly use Steganalysis tool. This digital forensic tool can help in finding the hidden information in the JPEG images by using steganography schemes such as invisible secrets, JPHide, F5, and JSteg. Moreover, the tool also has a graphical interface that is known as Xsteg.

Stego Suite from WetStone Tecnologies is another digital forensic tool that can help with Steganalysis. It the suite consist of three different products such as Stego Watch, Stego Analyst, and Stego Break. All of these three different products can help the Steganalyst in their digital forensic investigation.

Source: eccouncil.org

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What is Digital Evidence and Why Is It Important?

Digital devices surround our world in 2021. The immediate thought we get of a digital device is a computer, mobile phone, or internet. But the rise of IoT has made every electronic device a source of digital evidence. For instance, a built-in TV can be used to store, view, and share illegal images. Digital forensics experts, who are the first responders in this case, need to recognize and be able to properly seize every potential digital device for evidence.

If you are keen on a career as a forensic investigator to serve your community and help solve crimes, this blog will serve as your introduction to collecting digital evidence, along with the best path forward to pursue a calling in this exciting field.

What Is Digital Evidence?

Digital evidence can be defined as the information or valuable data stored on a computer or a mobile device that was seized by a law enforcement organization as part of a criminal investigation.

Digital evidence is commonly associated with e-crime (Electronic Crime), such as credit card fraud or child pornography. The information stored or transmitted in binary form on a computer hard drive, a mobile phone, or any other electronic device can be used as digital evidence by the forensic responders in a court of law. This evidence can include files on emails or mobile phones of the suspects, which could be critical to track their intent and location at the time of the crime and the searches they made on search platforms like Google or YouTube.

The types of evidences that a digital forensic examiner must consider are:

1. Analogical Evidence

This kind of evidence can only be useful for increasing credibility by drawing parallels when there isn’t enough information to prove something in a workplace investigation, but it cannot be produced as evidence in a court of law.

2. Anecdotal Evidence

This type of evidence can only be used to get a better picture of an issue and to support a particular conclusion, but cannot be used in court as evidence.

3. Circumstantial Evidence

This type of evidence is used to infer something based on a series of facts. It can be used in criminal investigations to separate facts from other facts that can be proven when no strong evidence is considered.

4. Character Evidence

This is a document or testimony that can help prove that the actions were taken in a particular way based on another person’s character. It can be used to prove intent, motive, or opportunity.

5. Digital Evidence

Digital evidence can be any sort of digital file from an electronic source. This includes email, text messages, instant messages, files and documents extracted from hard drives, electronic financial transactions, audio files, and video files.

6. Demonstrative Evidence

A document or an object which demonstrates a fact can be considered as demonstrative evidence.

7. Documentary Evidence

Written forms of evidence such as letters or wills, documentary forms of media evidence such as images, audio recordings, or video formats.

8. Direct Evidence

The testimony of a witness who can give a first-hand account of the incident is the most powerful type of evidence.

9. Exculpatory Evidence

A law enforcement personnel can disclose any exculpatory evidence to the defendant that they think can help the case get dismissed.

10. Forensic Evidence

Scientific evidence such as DNA, fingerprints, trace evidence, and ballistic reports comes under forensic evidence, providing solid proof for a person’s guilt or innocence.

11. Testimonial Evidence

Spoken or written evidence given by a witness forms the most common type of evidence.

What Are the Types of Digital Evidence?

There are basically two types of digital evidence:

◉ Volatile, which is non-persistent: Memory that loses its content once the power is turned off like data stored in RAM (semiconductor storage).

◉ Non-volatile, which is persistent: No change in content even if the power is turned off. For example, data stored in a tape, hard drive, CD/DVD, and ROM.

Digital evidence can be found on any server or device that stores data, including some new home gadgets such as video game consoles, GPS sports watches, and internet-enabled devices used in home automation. Digital evidence is often found through internet searches using open-source intelligence (OSINT).

Digital evidence encompass any sort of digital file from an electronic device. This includes email, text messages, instant messages, files, and documents extracted from hard drives, electronic financial transactions, audio files, video files.

The five rules while gathering digital evidence are admissible, authentic, complete, reliable, and believable.

How to Perform Digital Evidence Acquisition and Analysis?

Digital evidence collection essentially involves a 3-step sequential process:

◉ Seizing the available electronic media.

◉ Acquiring and creating a forensic image of the electronic media for examination.

◉ Analyzing the forensic image of the original media. This ensures that the original media is not modified during analysis and helps preserve the probative value of the evidence.

Large-capacity electronic devices seized as evidence in a criminal investigation, such as computer hard drives and external drives, may be 1 terabyte (TB) or larger. This is equivalent to about 17,000 hours of compressed recorded audio. Today, media can be acquired forensically at approximately 1.5 gigabytes (GB) per minute. The forensically acquired media is stored in a RAW image format, which results in a bit-for-bit copy of the data contained in the original media without any additions or deletions, even for the portions of the media that do not contain data.

Examples of Digital Evidence

These are the digital evidences that a court of law considers and allows the use of:

◉ Emails

◉ Digital photographs

◉ ATM transaction logs

◉ Word processing documents

◉ Instant messages history

◉ Accounting files

◉ Spreadsheets

◉ Internet browser history

◉ Databases

◉ Contents in a computer memory

◉ Computer backups & printouts

◉ GPS Tracks

◉ Digital video

◉ Audio files

Challenges of Digital Evidence

Collecting digital evidence requires a different kind of skill set than those required for gathering physical evidence. There are many methods for extracting digital evidence from various devices, and these methods, as well as the devices on which the evidence is stored, change rapidly. Investigators need to either develop specific technical expertise or rely on experts to do the extraction for them.

Preserving digital evidence is also challenging because, unlike physical evidence, it can be altered or deleted remotely. Investigators need to be able to authenticate the evidence and provide documentation to prove its integrity.

Source: eccouncil.org

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How to Choose a Digital Forensic Certification

Digital forensics or computer forensics is a forensics science branch that deals with the identification, recovery, and investigation of the materials found in digital devices when investigating computer-based crimes. Most organizations today are choosing to employ the services of digital forensics experts to collect information and evidence against intruders in addition to identifying them. In recent years, digital forensics has expanded to focus on mass storage devices. This led to an expansion in digital forensics certifications, which were necessary to accommodate the movement of digital crime activities outside the computer. Understandin how to choose the most appropriate digital forensics certification to become an expert in this field depends on the educational requirements, available certification options, and how various certifications line up against frameworks like NIST and NICE. Let’s dive in.

What Are the General Education Requirements for Digital Forensics Professionals?

A forensic computer analyst must be well informed on both computer programming and law enforcement standards. A bachelor’s degree is not always needed, but most employers ask for it. Related study areas at both the bachelor’s and advanced degree levels include IT, computer science, and criminal justice. For people without any of these advanced degrees, most employers will generally ask for proof of one’s background in the technical skills and knowledge of the profession from the successful completion of one of the several available digital forensics certifications.

What Are the Various Certification Options?

With a growing interest in digital forensics as a profession, many companies and associations have started offering certifications and specialized training. Some certifications offer skills in using specific software tools provided by the same companies that built them. Other certifications are provided by professional associations but are mostly available to current law enforcement employees. Selecting the right certification requires a balance between the education and experience that one has. Additionally, the skills which an individual has should complement the chosen certification.

Many of the people interested in digital forensics jobs enrol for a program that spans between 2 to 4 years, with certification courses like investigative techniques, mobile forensics, white-collar crime, computer ethics, and laws that interfere with the searching and confiscating of digital properties. Upon successful completion of a certification, a candidate can choose to work in cybersecurity, digital consulting, counterterrorism, or criminal investigation.

Entry-level programs are designed for high school graduates and require a solid base in mathematics, computer science, logic, and statistics. Advanced programs may need a bachelor’s degree in computer science and related degrees, in addition to specific certifications and competencies. Though most certifications are not well recognized, some certifications stand out from the rest. These are:

◉ Access Data Computer Examiner

◉ Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE)

◉ Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator v8 (CHFI)

How Do Various Certifications Line Up Against Frameworks like NIST and NICE?

ACE: Access Data Certified Examiner

Access Data is the company that makes the Forensic Toolkit (FTK), which is a popular solution for digital investigations. The company also offers the Access Data Certified Examiner (ACE) certification, which covers the FTK Imager, Registry Viewer, Password Recovery Toolkit, and the FTK Examiner Application management window tools. The company recommends basic to moderate forensic knowledge before trying the certification. This may include understanding registry files, digital artifacts, hashing, encrypting and decrypting files, attack types, and how to utilize live and index searching. Recertification is needed every two years, with credential holders expected to pass the current ACE exam, which focuses on the most recent versions of FTK and other tools.

CFCE: Certified Forensic Computer Examiner 

The CFCE credential was introduced by The International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists. This organization mainly leans towards offering these certifications to law enforcement personnel. This is because one must be employed in law enforcement to qualify as a regular IACIS membership. To get the CFCE certification, candidates are expected to show proficiency in CFCE core competencies. IACIS membership is required to attend this course. Candidates that finish the training course can enrol directly in the CFCE program upon completion of this certification. The CFCE exam has two steps — a peer review and CFCE certification testing.

CHFI: Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator

EC-Council is a training and certification organization whose specialties are penetration testing, digital forensics, and anti-hacking. The CHFI certification focuses on analytical techniques, forensics tools, and the procedures used in collecting, maintaining, and presenting digital forensic evidence and important data as legal proof in a court of law. EC-Council offers training for this certification, but candidates can appear for the exam without taking the course as long as they have a minimum of 2 years of information security experience. The CHFI course covers in-depth computer forensics, digital evidence, anti-forensics, network traffic, database, cloud forensics, mobile and email forensics, and policies and regulations.

Source: eccouncil.org

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