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You are here: Home arrow Forum arrow Ethical Hacking Discussions and Related Certificationsarrow Forensicsarrow Gaining experience... first steps
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January 09, 2009, 02:33:57 PM *
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Author Topic: Gaining experience... first steps  (Read 1372 times)
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jimbob
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« on: November 18, 2008, 05:41:10 AM »

Hi,
Kind of an open question; how can all the good people gain some experience with computer forensics? I know there is a lot of good training material out there but how can you gain real world experience, particularly if you've no previous field experience or already have a part/full-time job?

Are there opportunities to gain work experience by volunteering with law enforcement or private companies? There are lots of people here who would be interested to share your experiences.

Jimbob
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BillV
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« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2008, 07:35:39 AM »

I don't have any personal experience, but I was told by an instructor in a pentesting class that if I wanted to pursue forensics to first go get a certification and then go looking at the local law enforcement departments for an un-paid internship (probably doing mostly 'grunt work').
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Ketchup
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« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2008, 09:53:49 AM »

I think that BillV is on to something there.   I always say that learning the technical aspect is quite easy.   However, investigative skills are tougher to teach.  If you can get attached to an experienced investigator, you will learn more than you can pick up from books and certifications.   The grunt work you would be doing is documentation, chain of custody, etc.  Learning proper procedures and documentation is extremely important.  It will save you on the stand someday.   

I think that if you want to get your foot in the door, you have to be prepared to relocate.   Most forensics jobs are in NYC and DC.   DC has most of the government jobs, NYC has most of the consulting companies.   There are other markets, but they are not as saturated.
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don
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« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2008, 01:55:14 PM »

One thing not mentioned is working for lawyers. There are plenty of them everywhere you go, and there are always civil cases dealing with computers. Also, since it is related to law, one can charge a huge sum. Here's an idea. Print up a bunch of professional looking flyers and snail mail them to every law office in your area offering certified skills. Follow up with email, a phone call or even a visit in person. We can even go the addiction route and offer their first hit... case... for free or drastically discounted. If they're happy with the service, you now have a client that will bring you continued work. Get 5 - 10 law offices as clients, and one should have a steady stream of work. With the new eDiscovery laws now on the books that require every case to look at computer files, this should be a gold mine.

Hmmm... sounds like something I should do!!

Don
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Ketchup
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« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2008, 11:38:18 PM »

Most of my clients are lawyers.  They tend to favor established relationships and word of mouth advertising.  From my experience, its difficult to get your foot in the door.  Once you are in, you are in until you screw up Smiley.   

You also don't want to offer forensic services without proper experience to back it up.  Not only will you lack investigative skills and procedural knowledge, you will get killed on the stand.   Word gets around fast in the forensics community and you won't keep your job for long.
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sgt_mjc
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« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2008, 09:01:22 AM »

Good advice from Ketchup. I know way too many lawyers form growing up and I have seen it too often that some one gets a new one on the stand. I would think gaining the experience with law enforcement first would be the way to start. Along the way, you'll be doing that networking thing and making those lawyer contacts.
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Mike Conway
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