Certified eDiscovery & Forensic Investigation Practitioner (CEFIP)

Certified eDiscovery & Forensic Investigation Practitioner

Module 1 – Introduction to Digital Forensics and eDiscovery

• Definition and scope of digital forensics
• Differences between digital forensics, computer forensics, and eDiscovery
• Role of digital evidence in investigations and legal proceedings
• Overview of cybercrimes and digital risks
• Introduction to eDiscovery and electronically stored information (ESI)

Module 2 – Legal and Ethical Frameworks

• Key legal principles for digital evidence handling (e.g., admissibility, chain of custody)
• Relevant laws and regulations (e.g., Federal Rules of Evidence, GDPR, data protection laws)
• ACPO principles and NIST guidelines for digital evidence
• Ethical considerations and code of conduct for forensic investigators
• Challenges related to privacy, jurisdiction, and international cooperation

Module 3 – The Digital Forensics Investigation Process

• Standard investigation models (e.g., NIST, ACPO, EDRM for eDiscovery)
• Phases: preparation, identification, preservation, collection, examination, analysis, reporting
• Incident response integration with forensics
• Forensic readiness and planning
• Documentation and audit trails throughout the process

Module 4 – Data Acquisition and Preservation

• Types of acquisition (live vs dead, static vs volatile data)
• Write-blocking and imaging techniques
• Hashing and verification (e.g., MD5, SHA-256)
• Chain of custody procedures
• Preservation of original evidence and working copies

Module 5 – File Systems and Storage Media

• Common file systems (FAT, NTFS, ext2/3/4, APFS, exFAT)
• File allocation tables, metadata, slack space, and unallocated clusters
• Data carving and recovery of deleted files
• Hard disk structures (partitions, sectors, clusters)
• Handling different storage media (HDD, SSD, RAID, USB drives)

Module 6 – Forensic Analysis Techniques

• Timeline analysis and event reconstruction
• Artifact examination (logs, prefetch, jumplists, recent files)
• Keyword searching, pattern matching, and hashing
• Data hiding detection (steganography, alternate data streams)
• Use of hex editors and signature analysis

Module 7 – Operating System Forensics

• Windows forensics (registry, event logs, user profiles, artifacts)
• Linux/Unix forensics (logs, file timestamps, system files)
• macOS forensics (plists, spotlight, time machine artifacts)
• Boot process and startup artifacts
• Memory forensics basics (volatile data collection)

Module 8 – Network and Email Forensics

• Network traffic capture and analysis (PCAP files, Wireshark)
• Identifying C2 communications, data exfiltration
• Email header analysis and tracing
• SMTP, IMAP, POP protocols forensics
• Web browser and proxy artifacts

Module 9 – Mobile and IoT Forensics

• Mobile device acquisition methods (logical, physical, file system, chip-off)
• Android and iOS file systems and artifacts (SMS, call logs, app data)
• Handling locked devices and encryption bypass
• IoT device evidence sources (smart home, wearables)
• Challenges in mobile and IoT evidence preservation

Module 10 – Malware and Advanced Threat Forensics

• Malware types and infection vectors
• Static and dynamic malware analysis
• Reverse engineering basics
• Memory analysis for rootkits and in-memory threats
• Indicators of compromise (IOCs) and threat hunting

Module 11 – eDiscovery Processes and Tools

• EDRM model stages (identification, preservation, collection, processing, review, analysis, production)
• Custodian interviews and legal holds
• Processing ESI (culling, deduplication, filtering)
• Review workflows and technology-assisted review (TAR)
• Production formats and defensibility

Module 12 – Forensic Tools and Technologies

• Common forensic suites (EnCase, FTK, Autopsy, X-Ways)
• Open-source tools (Sleuth Kit, Volatility, Wireshark)
• Mobile tools (Cellebrite, Oxygen, Magnet AXIOM)
• Write-blockers and hardware duplicators
• Tool validation and error handling

Module 13 – Database and Specialized Forensics

• Database forensics principles (SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle)
• Query logs, transaction logs, and artifact recovery
• Cloud forensics challenges (SaaS, IaaS, PaaS)
• Memory and volatile data in specialized environments
• Virtual machine and container forensics

Module 14 – Reporting, Presentation, and Courtroom Skills

• Forensic report structure and content
• Technical writing and clear documentation
• Expert witness preparation and testimony
• Presenting findings (visualizations, timelines)
• Handling cross-examination and challenges to evidence