EC-Council Digital Forensics Essentials (DFE)
The DFE course provides a foundational introduction to digital forensics. You learn how to collect, preserve, and analyse digital evidence from computers, networks, mobile devices, and other digital systems.
Description
The DFE course provides a foundational introduction to digital forensics. You learn how to collect, preserve, and analyse digital evidence from computers, networks, mobile devices, and other digital systems. The training covers basics such as forensic readiness, evidence handling, data acquisition, and simple forensic analysis methods. The goal is to give learners core knowledge and practical skills to support investigations or prepare for more advanced forensics training.
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What You Will Learn
This training introduces you to the fundamentals of digital forensics and teaches you how to handle and analyse digital evidence in a safe and structured way.
Part 1: Introduction to digital forensics — forensic principles, investigation steps, types of digital evidence and the role of forensics in incident response
Part 2: Forensic readiness and first response — preparing for incidents, securing the scene, documentation and chain-of-custody procedures
Part 3: Data acquisition basics — imaging methods, evidence preservation, write blockers and safe data collection techniques
Part 4: File systems and disk structures — understanding partitions, file systems, metadata and how data is stored
Part 5: Forensic analysis fundamentals — examining files, logs and artefacts, recovering deleted data and identifying suspicious activity
Part 6: Memory and live forensics basics — capturing volatile data and understanding what information can be extracted from system memory
Part 7: Network forensics basics — packet capture, log analysis, identifying unusual network behaviour and simple reconstruction techniques
Part 8: Mobile device forensics — handling mobile evidence, understanding mobile data sources and basic extraction techniques
Part 9: Forensic tools and techniques — introduction to common forensic toolkits and practical use cases
Part 10: Reporting and documentation — preparing clear forensic reports, summarising findings and presenting evidence properly
Certification & Exam
After you complete the Digital Forensics Essentials training, you can register for the DFE certification exam. The exam evaluates your understanding of digital evidence handling, forensic processes and basic investigation techniques.
The exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions with a time limit of 2 hours. To pass the exam, you must achieve a score of 70%. The exam can be taken online through a remote-proctored platform.
When you pass the exam, you receive the DFE certificate, confirming your foundational skills in evidence collection, data acquisition, basic forensic analysis and proper documentation. This certification is an ideal starting point for more advanced forensic training.
What You Will Achieve
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
understand the fundamentals of digital forensics and the role it plays in incident response
collect and preserve digital evidence while following proper forensic and legal procedures
use basic data acquisition techniques to create forensic images safely
analyse files, logs and system artefacts to identify suspicious activity
perform simple network, memory and mobile forensics tasks
document findings clearly and prepare basic forensic reports
Training Providers
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DFE is an entry-level certification that explains digital forensics basics. It focuses on how digital evidence is identified, collected, and analyzed after cyber incidents.
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