Key Skills for Digital Forensics Essentials (Starweaver on FutureLearn)

This introductory online course teaches the fundamentals of digital forensics, including lawful evidence handling, chain of custody, and producing court-ready reports. Over four weeks you will learn how to acquire data using tools such as FTK Imager, perform basic analysis with Autopsy, and document findings so they are defensible in legal or organisational contexts.

The course combines practical demonstrations and guided activities: disk imaging and hash verification, live-response techniques for volatile data capture, analysis of file system artefacts and timelines, and methods for documenting and reporting findings. It is framed around standard investigative models (e.

g. , NIST) and emphasises legal and ethical considerations. The course is suitable for cybersecurity beginners, IT professionals, students, and anyone curious about digital investigations.

Learning modes include self-paced steps, social discussions with other learners, and a digital certificate when eligibility criteria are met.