EC-Council launch Certified Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) v9 update

As businesses wake up to the growing and imminent threat of cybercrime, Cyber Security is a top priority, now more than ever.

In 2004, the global Cyber Security market was worth just $3.5 billion. But, by 2020 it will be worth a staggering $120 billion according to Wired.

Because of the new and innovative ways businesses are experiencing hack attacks, it’s important that both security and response measures remain up-to-date.

EC-Council’s recent update to the Certified Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) is a prime example of the security industry looking to keep your knowledge current and up-to-date on the latest techniques.

What to do after the worst happened?

The CHFI certification validates your skills in conducting a digital forensics investigation. From understanding which scripts to run in the all-important moments following a breach to piecing together clues to catch a trespasser, digital forensics is your first response. 

Digital forensics detectives draw on a wide range of investigation and analysis techniques to identify an intruder's virtual footprints, in the hope of gathering potential legal evidence.

Put into context, CHFIs are effectively virtual detectives. Just like you’d want an investigator on the case if jewellery was stolen from your home, you’ll want a CHFI if you’re the victim of a cyber breach. The only difference is, even the most expensive pieces of jewellery can’t compare to the millions it can cost if you’re hacked.

The CHFI course covers major forensic investigation scenarios and presents a methodological approach to forensics. You'll cover searching and seizing, chain-of-custody, acquisition, preservation and analysis and reporting of digital evidence.

There’s always an opportunity for a hacker to penetrate your system. When your organisation is hit by a cyber breach, the real issue is how you respond to the attack.

Now for the updates

The new CHFI version 9 update has a number of key changes. 

Firstly, this update introduces new content. You’ll dive into the latest forensics examination techniques, with new operating systems including Linux and MAC Forensics. In the previous version (v8), only Windows forensics was addressed.

Furthermore, a host of new modules have been added to this course to reflect industry developments. The three modules added are database, cloud and malware forensics. With UK businesses at a cloud adoption rate of 84% and, with 54% being hit by ransomware attacks, it's easy to see why these modules have been added. 

EC-Council have also added more than 40% new, hands-on labs to the program. These descriptive and analytical labs are well-tested and results oriented. Even with these new labs, however, EC-Council have in fact reduced the total number of labs and modules. From 22 modules, 42 labs and 2,400 slides, they've now got 14 modules, 39 labs and only 1,222 slides. This change seeks to make the information more concise and digestible, whilst still covering all of the key areas in the same depth.

Why is CHFI essential for Cyber Security?

In a world where 90% of all criminal cases have at least one form of electronic evidence (The Guardian), the importance of being able to conduct a digital forensics investigation is growing rapidly. 

Furthermore, the digital forensics market is expected to grow around 15% globally from 2015 to 2020 as businesses quickly realise the importance of cyber forensics.

Fight Cyber Crime with Firebrand

For the past twelve years in a row, we’ve been named one of the Top 20 IT Training Companies in the World. At Firebrand, we take Cyber Security very seriously, making it a core component of our accelerated courses, Apprenticeships, and Skills Bootcamps. Perhaps one of them is right for you? See all our courses.