PECB Certified Digital Forensics Examiner (CDFE)

• Duration: 5 days

Course Overview

The PECB Certified Digital Forensics Examiner (CDFE) training course equips participants with the knowledge and practical skills required to investigate cybersecurity incidents, collect and analyze digital evidence, and support forensic investigations involving cybercrime and malicious activities.

Digital forensics plays a critical role in incident response, threat investigations, cybercrime analysis, and organizational security. This five-day training course combines digital forensic principles with practical techniques for network traffic analysis, file system examination, memory forensics, malware analysis, and reverse engineering.

Participants will explore industry-relevant tools and technologies, including Wireshark for network analysis, Zeek for network monitoring and automation, Ghidra for reverse engineering, and YARA for identifying patterns associated with malicious files and threat hunting. The course also covers advanced forensic investigations, dark web forensics, behavioral analysis, and techniques for examining potentially compromised systems.

Upon successful completion of the examination and fulfilment of the applicable certification requirements, participants can apply for the PECB Certified Digital Forensics Examiner (CDFE) credential.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the fundamental principles of digital forensics, relevant legal considerations, and investigative procedures.
• Understand the role of digital forensics in cybersecurity incident response and cybercrime investigations.
• Collect, preserve, and analyze digital evidence while maintaining appropriate chain-of-custody procedures and evidentiary integrity.
• Apply forensic techniques to investigate network traffic, file systems, storage media, and memory.
• Identify potential evidence of malicious activity, unauthorized modifications, and data tampering.
• Apply malware analysis and reverse engineering techniques to investigate suspicious files and understand their behavior.
• Use forensic and security tools to support threat hunting, evidence correlation, and investigative automation.
• Prepare structured forensic reports and communicate technical findings clearly to technical, management, and legal stakeholders.

Target Audience

This training course is intended for:

• Digital Forensics Analysts and Investigators responsible for collecting, examining, and interpreting digital evidence.
• IT Security Professionals and Incident Responders involved in investigating security incidents and analyzing compromised systems.
• Legal Professionals supporting cybercrime investigations and cases involving digital evidence.
• Corporate Security Officers and Compliance Managers responsible for security investigations, incident documentation, and compliance-related matters.
• Cybersecurity Professionals and Cyber Intelligence Analysts seeking to strengthen their investigative and analytical capabilities.
• Information Security Team Members involved in threat detection, incident response, and security monitoring.
• Professionals Advancing in Digital Forensics who want to develop practical skills in forensic analysis, malware investigation, and reverse engineering.

Course Content

Day 1: Foundations of Digital Forensics

• Training Course Objectives and Structure
• Introduction to Digital Forensics
• Digital Forensics Tools and Techniques
• Network Analysis with Wireshark
• Fundamentals of Malware Analysis

Day 2: File System Analysis and Reverse Engineering

• File System Forensics
• Memory Forensics
• Reverse Engineering in Windows: Portable Executable (PE) Files
• Reverse Engineering in Linux: Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) Files
• x86 Architecture Fundamentals

Day 3: Malware Analysis and Threat Hunting

• Advanced Malware Analysis Techniques
• Introduction to Zeek for Network Analysis
• Ghidra for Malware Analysis
• YARA Rule Development for Threat Hunting

Day 4: Advanced Forensic Analysis and Incident Response

• Dark Web Forensics
• Interactive Behaviour Analysis
• Memory and File System Forensic Techniques
• Advanced Scripting and Automation with Zeek
• Patch Analysis and Modifications with Ghidra
• Course Review and Closing Session

Day 5: Certification Examination

• Review of Key Course Concepts
• Preparation for the Certification Examination
• PECB Certified Digital Forensics Examiner Examination

Examination and Certification

The PECB Certified Digital Forensics Examiner examination assesses participants’ knowledge and competencies in digital evidence analysis, forensic investigation, malware analysis, and threat hunting.

Examination duration: 3 hours

The examination covers the following competency domains:

1. Network Traffic and Protocol Analysis
2. Memory Acquisition and Forensics
3. File System and Disk Forensics
4. Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering
5. Threat Hunting, Automation, and Correlation

The examination follows the PECB Examination and Certification Program (ECP) requirements. Information regarding examination formats, available languages, and applicable examination rules is provided by PECB.

Certification Requirements

Candidates who successfully pass the examination can apply for the relevant credential, subject to fulfilling the applicable professional experience, project experience, and ethical requirements.

1. PECB Certified Provisional Digital Forensics Examiner

• Examination: PECB Certified Digital Forensics Examiner examination or equivalent.
• Professional Experience: No professional experience required.
• Project Experience: No project experience required.
• Other Requirements: Signing the PECB Code of Ethics.

2. PECB Certified Digital Forensics Examiner (CDFE)

• Examination: PECB Certified Digital Forensics Examiner examination or equivalent.
• Professional Experience: Five years of professional experience, including two years of work experience in computer forensics.
• Project Experience: 300 hours of project experience.
• Other Requirements: Signing the PECB Code of Ethics.

A certificate is issued once the candidate fulfils all applicable requirements for the selected credential.

Course Benefits

By completing this training course, participants will be better equipped to:

• Investigate Cybersecurity Incidents: Apply structured digital forensic techniques to investigate suspicious activities and security breaches.
• Collect and Analyze Digital Evidence: Develop skills in network traffic analysis, memory forensics, and file system examination.
• Understand Malware Behaviour: Explore malware analysis and reverse engineering techniques to investigate potentially malicious files.
• Strengthen Threat-Hunting Capabilities: Use tools such as Zeek and YARA to support threat identification, analysis, and investigative workflows.
• Improve Investigative Accuracy: Understand evidence preservation, chain-of-custody practices, and the importance of maintaining evidentiary integrity.
• Support Incident Response: Provide technical findings that help organizations understand incidents, assess their impact, and guide remediation.
• Communicate Forensic Findings: Prepare structured reports that support technical investigations and, where applicable, legal proceedings.
• Advance Professional Development: Pursue the PECB Certified Digital Forensics Examiner credential by meeting the applicable examination and certification requirements.

Training Materials and CPD Credits

• Training Materials: Participants receive more than 300 pages of comprehensive course materials, including practical laboratory exercises.
• CPD Credits: Participants who attend the training course receive an attestation of course completion worth 31 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits.
• Examination and Certification Fees: Included in the training course price.
• Examination Retake: Participants who attend the course through a PECB partner and fail their first examination attempt are eligible for one free retake within 12 months from the date the examination coupon code is received, subject to PECB’s applicable rules. Additional fees may apply outside these conditions.

Prerequisites

No specific mandatory prerequisites are stated in the supplied course information. However, a basic understanding of computer systems, networking, operating systems, and cybersecurity concepts would be beneficial for participants undertaking the practical forensic and malware analysis exercises.

Certification Body

PECB (Professional Evaluation and Certification Board)

PECB provides professional training, examination, and certification services across cybersecurity, information security, digital forensics, governance, risk, and compliance disciplines.