Introduction to Digital Forensics
advanced level | certificate | 40 cpe credits | updated 2025
Start strong with essential digital forensics skills. Master evidence collection, examination, and presentation through hands-on practice with real cases and guided labs. This course delivers practical value for beginners and professionals, refreshing their knowledge, covering core concepts, proven methodologies, and actionable techniques for digital evidence analysis.
Course Format & Pricing
On-Site: Custom quote
Introduction to Digital Forensics
This foundational, 5-day course is designed for professionals beginning their journey in digital forensics — or those looking to refresh essential skills. It covers key principles, methodologies, and hands-on techniques for identifying, acquiring, and analyzing digital evidence across modern devices and environments.
Through scenario-based labs and expert-led instruction, students gain a structured approach to the investigative process, including data acquisition, artifact analysis, timeline reconstruction, and forensic reporting.
Overview of what you will learn
- Understand the core principles of digital forensics and the investigative lifecycle
- Acquire and validate digital evidence from storage devices while preserving integrity
- Analyze file systems, metadata, and hidden data for investigative value
- Examine HDDs, partitions, and volumes in forensic workflows
- Construct and interpret forensic timelines to understand user/system behavior
- Create clear, court-defensible forensic reports based on investigative findings
Is this course for you?
This course is ideal for:
- Newcomers to digital forensics who want a guided, hands-on introduction
- IT professionals transitioning into forensic or investigative roles
- Law enforcement and first responders building digital evidence capabilities
Why professionals choose this course
- Comprehensive foundations — learn the entire forensic workflow from acquisition to reporting
- Scenario-based labs — practice real investigative techniques in virtual environments
- Flexible delivery — available live online, on-site, or coming soon on-demand
- Certified training — includes certificate and 40 CPE credits
- Vendor-neutral skills — applicable across tools and forensic platforms
What you'll learn
In this course, you'll learn to:
- Understand the foundational principles of digital forensics Learn how digital evidence is collected, preserved, and analyzed in a forensically sound manner.
- Work with forensic acquisition methods Gain hands-on experience acquiring and validating data from various storage devices.
- Explore file systems and metadata Identify, extract, and interpret key forensic artifacts hidden in file structures.
- Analyze hard drives and partitions Understand how storage is structured and how to locate evidence across partitions and volumes.
- Create forensic timelines Reconstruct events using logs, timestamps, and recovered user activity.
- Document findings professionally Learn to create clear, structured forensic reports suitable for legal and investigative use.
Included in your training
- Immersive scenario-based labs Work through realistic exercises that mirror real-world digital investigations.
- Guided tool usage Use industry-recognized forensic tools with step-by-step guidance.
- Comprehensive methodology Follow the entire forensic process from acquisition through reporting.
- Vendor-neutral training Build skills that apply across platforms — no single-tool dependency.
- Live Online or On-Site Flexible formats to match your schedule and learning preferences.
- Certificate & CPE Credits Earn a completion certificate and 40 CPE credits.
What Else Is Included
- Scenario-Based Labs: Practice real-world forensics using structured case exercises and evidence files.
- Downloadable Resources: Includes guides, lab datasets, templates, and command references.
- Instructor Access: Ask questions and receive guidance directly from the course author.
- Live or On-Demand: Choose the training format that fits your schedule — or bring us onsite.
- Certification: Earn 40 CPE credits and a downloadable certificate of completion.
- Forensics-First Design: Built specifically for new or transitioning professionals in digital investigations.
Who is this course for?
This foundational course is designed for those entering the field of digital forensics or seeking to build confidence in investigative techniques. Whether you're an IT professional, law enforcement officer, or aspiring analyst, you'll gain practical, hands-on skills to examine digital evidence effectively.
It's ideal if you:
- Are new to digital forensics and want a structured, practical introduction
- Need to understand the core concepts behind evidence acquisition and analysis
- Want to explore how forensic tools work under the hood — not just what buttons to click
- Handle digital evidence as part of your job (e.g., law enforcement, legal support, corporate investigations)
- Are transitioning from general IT into a forensic or investigative role
- Want training that balances theory, tools, and hands-on practice
The course is designed to build skills from the ground up — everything is explained clearly with labs, examples, and guided exercises.
What makes this course different?
This course doesn't just introduce concepts — it prepares you to act on them. With real-world case examples, guided tools, and forensic techniques that apply across platforms, it's a hands-on foundation designed for today's investigative work.
- Designed for beginners – no prior forensic experience required, just curiosity and willingness to learn
- Hands-on case simulations – analyze real-world artifacts like logs, emails, memory, and disk images
- Tool-agnostic approach – works with your favorite tools, whether commercial or open-source
- Built by practitioners – everything you learn is grounded in the actual work of digital investigations
- Clarity over complexity – we explain concepts simply and focus on practical impact
- Supports long-term growth – whether you're exploring a new career or strengthening your existing role
It's the perfect mix of foundational knowledge and practical skills — designed to help you feel confident in the forensic field and ready to grow.
Your Instructor
This course is led by James Eichbaum — an experienced digital forensics instructor and practitioner with a passion for clear, practical training. Over the last 15+ years, James has taught thousands of professionals in digital investigations, helping them build skills that apply directly to real-world work.
His teaching style blends technical clarity with investigative relevance, making him a trusted voice in both beginner and advanced courses. From national police agencies to private consultancies, James has helped teams across sectors improve their forensic capabilities.
In "Introduction to Digital Forensics," James walks you through essential concepts, tools, and methods that form the foundation of a strong forensic skill set — no matter your current experience level.
Connect with James on LinkedIn- 15+ years teaching digital and mobile forensics
- Global Training Manager at MSAB (former)
- California P.O.S.T. Certified Instructor
- Detective, Sacramento Valley High Tech Crimes Task Force
- Special Deputy U.S. Marshal, FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force
- Recipient of HTCIA "Case of the Year" award
Scheduled Training Calendar & Pricing
Live Online
Join a scheduled session remotely with instructor-led delivery, interactive labs, and full certification.
- Certified 5-day foundational course
- Live virtual delivery with real-time Q&A
- Hands-on exercises and forensic scenarios
- Completion certificate + 40 CPE credits
- Downloadable labs and datasets included
On-Site
Bring the full course to your organization — instructor-led, immersive, and tailored to your team.
- Instructor-led delivery at your location
- All materials, labs, and certification included
- Realistic forensic scenarios & exercises
- 40 CPE credits per attendee
- Worldwide availability
Email us to join the waitlist ⟶
Certification & CPE Credits
What You'll Gain from the Introduction to Digital Forensics Course
This foundational course provides a clear, hands-on entry point into the world of digital forensics — ideal for investigators, analysts, and technical professionals starting their journey or seeking to strengthen core capabilities.
Through expert-led instruction, practical exercises, and real-world examples, you'll gain the skills to confidently handle digital evidence, understand forensic principles, and navigate common challenges across file systems, artifacts, and tools.
Whether you work in law enforcement, private investigations, cybersecurity, or legal support, this course offers the technical grounding and critical thinking approaches needed to work effectively with digital evidence.
The full course includes:
- Structured, instructor-led lessons with live demonstrations
- Hands-on labs with simulated forensic scenarios
- Practical guidance on chain of custody, reporting, and ethics
- Exposure to industry-standard tools and evidence handling
- 40 CPE credits and a verifiable certificate of completion
- Adaptable for live online or on-site delivery formats
FAQ
Expand AllThis course is designed for investigators, analysts, and examiners who are new to digital forensics or looking to build a structured foundation. No previous experience is required — we start from the basics.
The live version runs over 5 full days, with a mix of instructor-led sessions, interactive demos, and practical lab exercises. On-site training follows the same structure and can be customized for internal teams.
The course is tool-agnostic. We demonstrate with widely used platforms (like Cellebrite, AXIOM, and X-Ways), but focus on concepts and workflows that apply regardless of what toolset you use.
No prior forensic knowledge is required. The course is structured to introduce you to terminology, tools, and workflows from the ground up — ideal for those transitioning from IT, law enforcement, or cybersecurity roles.
Yes. All participants receive a signed certificate of completion and 40 CPE credits, suitable for documentation in audits, certification renewal, or HR compliance.
You'll be able to confidently handle evidence collections, analyze disk and mobile extractions, interpret file system artifacts, and understand forensic principles relevant to law enforcement and corporate investigations.
Both options are supported. Individuals can register for scheduled sessions, while teams of 3+ can request customized delivery — online or onsite — with group pricing available.
Not yet. The On-Demand version of this course is currently in development and planned for release in late 2025. You can register interest via contact@elusivedata.io.
What professionals say about this course
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training with elusive data
Fast access to the knowledge you need, when you need it.
Learn by doing the way that fits you, and gain practical skills you can use immediately.
Learn from experience. Our instructors bring decades of hands-on experience from both investigations and training, and still work on active cases. Get expert guidance that keeps your skills sharp and your knowledge fresh, in a field that never stands still.
And works on day one.
Pick short, focused micro-lessons when time is tight. Go at your own pace with on-demand courses. Join a live online class, or bring the classroom to your team. Learn the way that fits you, without affecting your work or investigations.
No matter the format, each course gives you tools and techniques you can use right away. Work through interactive labs, CTF challenges, and exercises built on real case data, grounded in the realities of digital investigations.
Complete any course to receive a certificate that proves your skills in that specific area. Log your hours as CPE credits and use them toward your certification renewals.
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Thank you for a great course! I finally get how to work with unsupported apps. That clicked during this course. I’ve done a few trainings before, but this one stood out because it was actually useful right away. The instructor explained how app data is stored in a way that made sense, and I really appreciated all the real examples. I’ve already used a few techniques in a current case.