Introduction to Digital Forensics and System Investigation

When a security breach occurs, digital investigators are called in to reconstruct the timeline and discover exactly what happened. Understanding how to collect, preserve, and analyze digital evidence is a critical skill in modern cybersecurity. This course guides you through the foundational principles of digital forensics, helping you transition from a beginner to a confident investigator who understands how to analyze system artifacts. What you'll learn: 1. Understand foundational digital forensics terminology and the principles of chain of custody. 2. Analyze Windows system artifacts, including registry entries and event logs, to trace user activity. 3. Explore modern threat landscape concepts and how digital forensics fits into incident response. 4. Learn how to safely acquire and preserve memory and disk images for investigation. 5. Practice identifying indicators of compromise (IOCs) through guided written scenarios. 6. Apply basic forensic triage methodologies to quickly assess compromised systems. This course begins with key terminology, legal standards, and foundational forensic concepts before progressing to step-by-step written walk-throughs of artifact analysis and evidence preservation. It is designed specifically for beginners in cybersecurity and system administration, with no prior forensics experience required. Start your journey into digital investigation today.