Free Self-Paced Course
Data Recovery and Digital Forensics
7 Weeks · 301 Sections · Computer Science — Digital Forensics
This free, self-paced course provides a structured 7-week syllabus for learning Digital Forensics. Each module builds on the previous one, guiding you from foundational concepts through advanced topics with 301 pages of in-depth reading material. All content is drawn from our comprehensive Digital Forensics textbook, organized into a clear weekly schedule that you can follow at your own pace.
Weekly Syllabus
- Part I — Foundations
- Chapter 1: Two Disciplines, One Technical Foundation — What Data Recovery and Digital Forensics Share, and Where They Diverge
- Chapter 2: How Data Is Stored — Bits, Bytes, Sectors, Clusters, and the Physical Reality of Digital Information
- Chapter 3: Storage Technology — Hard Drives, SSDs, Flash Media, RAID, and How Each Stores (and Loses) Data
- Chapter 4: File Systems — The Software Layer That Organizes Everything
- Chapter 5: The Forensic Process — Acquisition, Preservation, Analysis, and Reporting
- Part III — Digital Forensics
- Chapter 14: Forensic Acquisition — Imaging Drives, Preserving Evidence, and Maintaining Chain of Custody
- Chapter 15: Live Response and Triage Forensics — Capturing Volatile Evidence Before You Pull the Plug
- Chapter 16: Windows Forensics — Registry, Event Logs, Prefetch, and the Artifacts Windows Leaves Behind
- Chapter 17: macOS and Linux Forensics — APFS Snapshots, Unified Logs, and Unix Artifacts
- Chapter 18: Browser and Internet Forensics — Web History, Cache, Cookies, and the Digital Footprint
- Chapter 19: Email, Chat, and Social Media Forensics — Recovering Communication Evidence
- Chapter 20: Photo, Video, and Document Forensics — Metadata, Manipulation Detection, and Content Analysis
- Chapter 21: Timeline Analysis — Reconstructing Events from Timestamps Across Multiple Sources
- Chapter 22: Memory Forensics — Analyzing RAM for Evidence That Never Touched the Disk
- Chapter 23: Network Forensics — Packet Captures, Log Analysis, and Tracing Activity Across the Wire
- Chapter 24: Mobile Device Forensics — Extracting Evidence from Phones and Tablets
- Part V — Advanced Topics
- Chapter 29: Encrypted Device Forensics — BitLocker, FileVault, LUKS, VeraCrypt, and the Encryption Challenge
- Chapter 30: Anti-Forensics — How People Try to Hide Evidence (and How to Detect That They Tried)
- Chapter 31: Cloud Forensics — Investigating Data That Lives on Someone Else's Servers
- Chapter 32: Malware Forensics — Analyzing the Weapon After the Attack
- Chapter 33: Cryptocurrency Investigation — Tracing Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Digital Assets on the Blockchain
- Chapter 34: IoT, Vehicle, and Embedded Device Forensics — Smart Homes, Cars, Wearables, and the Internet of Evidence
- Chapter 35: AI-Assisted Forensics and Deepfake Detection — Machine Learning at Investigative Scale, and the Synthetic-Media Problem
- Part VI — Tools and Career
- Chapter 36: The Forensic Toolkit — Autopsy, FTK, EnCase, Cellebrite, and Choosing the Right Tool for the Job
- Chapter 37: Building a Forensic Lab — Hardware, Software, Storage, and the Environment for Professional Work
- Chapter 38: The Capstone Investigation — A Complete Case from Assignment to Courtroom
- Chapter 39: Certifications and Professional Development — EnCE, GCFE, GCFA, CCE, CFCE, and the Alphabet Soup of Forensic Credentials
- Chapter 40: The Forensics and Recovery Career — From Junior Examiner to Lab Director: Paths, Pay, and the Work
How to Use This Syllabus
- Read at your own pace. Each module is designed for roughly one week of study, but there are no deadlines. Spend as much time as you need on each topic.
- Follow in order or jump around. The modules are arranged sequentially for a structured learning path, but feel free to skip to any topic that interests you most.
- No sign-up needed. Every page in this syllabus links directly to free, open-access content. Just click a topic and start reading immediately.
Ready to Start Learning?
Access the full Digital Forensics textbook with all chapters, examples, and exercises.
Open the Full Textbook