Best Cybercrime Investigation and Digital Forensics Courses and Certifications

Cyber criminals target networks in the private and public sector every day, and their threat is growing. Cyber attacks are becoming more common, more menacing, and in the public sector, can compromise public services and put sensitive data at risk. It happens all the time in the private sector too: companies are attacked for trade secrets, customer information and other confidential details. Individuals aren’t spared either and are falling victim to identity theft, fraud and various other types of cybercrime. For the prosecution of such acts, preserving and recovering digital evidence is absolutely critical. In the same way a "traditional" detective or law enforcement agent explores crimes in the physical or material sense, a cybercrime investigator delves into internet-based crimes. A cybercrime investigation is the process of investigating, analyzing and recovering digital forensics data from networks that have been attacked, in order to identify not only the perpetrators but their intentions as well. Cybercrime investigations are conducted by experts in criminal justice, national security and private security agencies, and cybersecurity investigators, experts and blue teams all play an indispensable role in preventing, monitoring, migrating and investigating all types of cybercrime against networks, servers and data in private organizations, as well as home devices. Top 8 cybercrime investigation and digital forensics courses and certs Cybersecurity investigators are highly knowledgeable in numerous aspects of cybercrime, including their different types, legal aspects, methods of protection, necessary investigation techniques, and digital forensics. In order to deal with cybercrime incidents in the appropriate manner, from incident response to acquisition and preservation of evidence and advanced forensic analysis, cybercrime investigators require a combination of education and experience to be successful. For aspiring as well as experienced cybercrime investigators seeking additional knowledge and education, courses and certifications provide a wise option. Security professionals working in other fields can also benefit from acquiring cybercrime investigation and digital forensics skills. Some general information security certifications such as the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) can be highly useful for cybercrime and digital forensics investigators. Other, more specialized certifications and online courses in the field are also recognized in the industry. We rounded up our picks for the best cybercrime investigation courses and certifications, listed in no particular order. The list is more focused on vendor-neutral courses and certs so the well-known AccessData Certified Examiner certification didn't make this list. 1. The IFCI Expert Cybercrime Investigator (CCI) course The Cybercrime Investigator's course (CCI) is the flagship training program of The International Fraternity of Cybercrime Investigators available on Udemy. Also known as the IFCI-CCI, this course provides the foundational knowledge needed to kickstart a cybercrime investigator's career, and then some. The CCI covers every aspect of a cybercrime investigation including intrusion investigations, incident response, attack vector identification, and cybercrime profiling, with hands-on labs emulating real-world scenarios. The main goal of the course is to arm aspiring cybercrime investigators with the knowledge and skills needed to perform their work successfully. The course features 13 sections with more than 100 lectures and 15 labs. The sections include: Core concepts of computer forensics. Incident response and forensic acquisition. File deletion recovery. Email analysis. Internet activity analysis. Malware and network intrusion analysis. Dynamic malware analysis. By taking the CCI cybercrime investigation course, students will be able to respond to cybercrime incidents, ...