CCFE Core Competencies

• Procedures and Legal Issues
• Computer Fundamentals
• Partitioning Schemes
• Data Recovery
• Windows File Systems
• Windows Artifacts
• Report writing (Presentation of Finding)

• Procedures and Legal issues

1. Knowledge of search and subjection and rules for evidence as applicable to computer forensics.
2. Ability to explain the on-scene action taken for evidence preservation.
3. Ability to maintain and document an environment consolidating the computer forensics.

• Computer Fundamentals

1. Understand BIOS
2. Computer hardware
3. Understanding of numbering system (Binary, hexadecimal, bits, bytes).
4. Knowledge of sectors, clusters, files.
5. Understanding of logical and physical files.
6. Understanding of logical and physical drives.

• Partitioning schemes

1. Identification of current partitioning schemes.
2. Understanding of primary and extended partition.
3. Knowledge of partitioning schemes and structures and system used by it.
4. Knowledge of GUID and its application.

• Windows file system

1. Understanding of concepts of files.
2. Understanding of FAT tables, root directory, subdirectory along with how they store data.
3. Identification, examination, analyzation of NTFS master file table.
4. Understanding of $MFT structure and how they store data.
5. Understanding of Standard information, Filename, and data attributes.

• Data Recovery

1. Ability to validate forensic hardware, software, examination procedures.
2. Email headers understanding.
3. Ability to generate and validate forensically sterile media.
4. Ability to generate and validate a forensic image of media.
5. Understand hashing and hash sets.
6. Understand file headers.
7. Ability to extract file metadata from common file types.
8. Understanding of file fragmentation.
9. Ability to extract component files from compound files.
10. Knowledge of encrypted files and strategies for recovery.
11. Knowledge of Internet browser artifacts.
12. Knowledge of search strategies for examining electronic

• Windows Artifacts

1. Understanding the purpose and structure of component files that create the windows registry.
2. Identify and capability to extract the relevant data from the dead registry.
3. Understand the importance of restore points and volume shadow copy services.
4. Knowledge of the locations of common Windows artifacts.
5. Ability to analyze recycle bin.
6. Ability to analyze link files.
7. Analyzing of logs
8. Extract and view windows logs
9. Ability to locate, mount and examine VHD files.
10. Understand the Windows swap and hibernation files.

• Report Writing (Presentation of findings)

1. Ability to conclude things strongly based on examination observations.
2. Able to report findings using industry standard technically accurate terminologies.
3. Ability to explain the complex things in simple and easy terms so that non-technical people can understand clearly.
4. Be able to consider legal boundaries when undertaking a forensic examination