What you'll learn

Digital forensics matters greatly when determining the cause of a breach. In this course, Digital Forensics: Chain of Custody, you’ll learn to preserve, document, and manage digital evidence in a way that stands up to legal and investigative scrutiny. First, you’ll explore the legal and procedural significance of the chain of custody, including how mishandling evidence can undermine an investigation. Next, you’ll discover how to properly document and preserve digital evidence using forensically sound practices, including labeling, packaging, and using cryptographic hashing to verify integrity. Finally, you’ll learn how to integrate chain of custody procedures into forensic tools and workflows using software like FTK Imager and Autopsy, while maintaining a tamper-evident audit trail. When you’re finished with this course, you’ll have the skills and knowledge of digital forensics needed to manage chain of custody effectively and ensure that your evidence remains legally admissible and forensically reliable.