How to become a Cyber Forensics Expert in India?

Nitish ChandanCyber Forensics, Cyber Security

How to become a Cyber forensics expert in India?

A question many seek answer to, those who are starting out routinely ask about how to start a career in Cyber Forensics. And as per Rob Lee, these individuals vary from completely inexperienced to those with 15 years experience in the Computer Science of Information Security vertical. Here are some questions and the more important answers:

Cyber Forensics Expert

Why is becoming a Cyber Forensics Expert difficult or challenging (over any other dimension of forensics)?

For the basic reason of dynamics, once your DNA is in you, nobody can change it. Nobody can play with molecular level of science at least changes don’t occur for a couple of decades or more. Cyber Forensics, it changes. It changes month by month to say at the least. Just a simple windows update can change your system significantly. The forensics artifacts  change like this and as a responsible and smart Cyber Forensics Expert, you must be aware and ready for any new thing that might come your way. You might become an expert today and if you don’t keep up you might not be one tomorrow.

Do you have the passion and the capacity?

In words of Rob Lee again, “The first is a passion for computer forensics and incident response and the second one is a very large capacity to learn”. As an individual in my opinion you must never be satisfied in the real sense. You must always be open to learning new stuff and moving forward. Formal education is must and compulsory, however, in the Cyber Forensics world there is more unknown than is known.

What skill set is needed?

The first thing keeping the Indian scenario in mind is to become an expert at the Microsoft Windows OS family. They are the most popular, extremely complex and challenging to analyse despite the ease of use for the user. More than 90% of systems that forensics specialists investigate are Windows based and everyone in this field has to know the ABC of Windows. There is definitely going to be the software you use but just in case it doesn’t work you should know the workaround and the hard wired way to finding evidence. Once you have mastered Windows and file systems of Linux too, you should go deeper into choosing the specialty area. For example you could choose wearable technology which is going to be the new thing in the next decade.
The knowledge of law:
For digital evidence in India to be admissible in the court of law, there are a few prerequisites. Read here.

Get Certified in a reputed Certification:

This debate has been lived for many years in the west. In India, however it has not started yet. Nonetheless, we have compiled a list of few things you can try. Well, the more popular helps then if you know your skill set well.

1. Asian School of Cyber Law:
In order to learn the very basics of Cyber Forensics, it is a good gateway.
http://www.asianlaws.org/cfa.php
2. Institute of Information Security:
http://iisecurity.in/courses/certified-professional-forensic-analyst-cpfa.html
3. CHFI
Globally, one of the most accepted certifications.
http://www.eccouncil.org/certification/computer-hacking-forensics-investigator
4. EnCE Certification program
https://www.guidancesoftware.com/training/Pages/ence-certification-program.aspx
5. IFS
http://www.ifs.edu.in/