Where to Find
the Best Online Computer Forensics Courses in 2021
There is a continuous increase in the demand for computer forensic experts. It is a flourishing career option for those interested in exploring cybersecurity. A computer forensic investigation course teaches you to be aware of the different threats on the Internet and how to protect yourself.
If you’re a student, lawyer, or investigating officer interested in computer forensics, then this guide is for you. You can become a computer forensic analyst in only a couple of months. Online courses are the best way to learn about new tech topics. Keep reading and find some of the best online computer forensics courses in 2021.
What Is Computer Forensics?
Computer forensics is the area of forensic science that deals with applying investigative analysis techniques to computers. It helps recover and preserve evidence in a legally acceptable way. A significant element of computer forensic science lies in the forensics expert’s ability to represent findings in a way that is permitted and usable by a court.
The objective of computer forensics is to investigate a computing device to find out what happened or who was responsible for what happened. Forensic experts also must maintain an adequately documented chain of evidence in a formal report.
What Will You Learn in a Computer Forensics Course?
In a computer forensics course, you will learn how to find the origin of online criminal activity, search for and gather evidence legally, and investigate cyber attacks. You will also learn how to perform administrative tasks like unlocking passwords and recovering lost or deleted data.
Once you complete a few courses or decide to get a degree, you will be ready to enter the computer forensics field. According to PayScale, the average salary for a forensic computer analyst is $74,896. PayScale also reports that experienced forensic computer analysts earn $100,929 per year. This means that courses can drastically increase your salary.
Top Online Computer Forensics Courses in 2021 at a Glance
Courses included in the following list are some of the best online courses available in 2021 for computer forensics. Also listed are the prices, course length, and availability of a certificate.
Provider and Course | Price | Length | Certificate |
---|---|---|---|
Coursera Penetration Testing, Incident Response and Forensics |
$49 per month | 4 Weeks | Yes |
Cybrary Cybersecurity Training and Career Development |
$59 per month | 17 Hours, 41 Minutes | Yes |
edX Computer Forensics |
Free | 8 Weeks | Yes, for $249 |
edX Cyber Security Basics: A Hands-on Approach |
Free | 6 Weeks | Yes, for $99 |
SANS FOR500: Windows Forensic Analysis |
$7,270 | 6 Days | Yes, for $849 Fee (GCFE) |
Station X The Complete Cyber Security Course! – Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4 |
$500 | 50 Hours | Yes |
Udemy Computer Forensics Fundamentals |
$49.99 | 1 Hour | Yes |
Udemy Digital Forensics and Electronic Evidence |
$19.99 | 1 Hour | Yes |
Udemy Digital Forensics – Complete Digital Forensics Masterclass |
$94.99 | 7 Hours | Yes |
Udemy Forensic Investigator Fundamentals |
$94.99 | 5 Hours | Yes |
Udemy Fundamentals of Digital Forensics |
$19.99 | 3 Hours | Yes |
Udemy Intermediate Computer Forensics |
$69.99 | 2 Hours | Yes |
Udemy IT Surveillance and Computer Forensics from Scratch HACKING+ |
$94.99 | 6 Hours | Yes |
Udemy Learning Computer Forensics With Infinite Skills |
$49.99 | 11 Hours | Yes |
Udemy Mobile Computer Forensics Fundamentals |
$59.99 | 2 Hours | Yes |
Best Computer Forensics Courses of 2021
To choose the course that best suits your needs, we present you with a summary of each one, along with the requirements and a description of the topics you will learn. Read below to learn more about the best online computer forensics courses in 2021.
Penetration Testing, Incident Response and Forensics by Coursera
Coursera offers a penetration testing, incident response, and forensics course in association with IBM. This is a very good course if you want to learn the newest technologies and techniques for computer forensics. You will gain skills in the most popular penetration testing tools.
Throughout the course, you will learn about the phases of a penetration test and incident response. You will also learn how to gather data to use as digital evidence and many other techniques.
Computer Hacking and Forensics by Cybrary
Cybrary is a platform that offers a wide variety of courses in the cybersecurity area. The platform offers a hacking and computer forensics course, in which you will learn how to perform the entire process to identify criminal activity online.
Course participants will learn how to use useful tools to collect evidence legally. In addition, the knowledge you learn will be useful to take the EC-Council CHFI certification exam in computer forensics. Cybersecurity certifications will give you a leg up in the field.
Computer Forensics by edX
This course is offered by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and is available on edX. During the course, students will learn how to collect evidence on different operating systems such as Windows and Linux/Unix and learn how to use the most useful tools for computer forensics.
At the end of the course, students will know how to perform forensic analysis and reporting and gather evidence to be presented in court. Anyone can take the course, and no previous knowledge is required to perform well.
Cyber Security Basics: A Hands-on Approach by edX
In this course offered by edX, you will learn the basics of cyber security and the procedures to defend yourself from threats. It is the perfect course to understand the basics of cyber security.
If you want to learn how to protect yourself from personal cyber attacks, the course provides you with all the material you need for the classes and exercises. You do not need previous knowledge in the area, but computer and operating systems knowledge would be quite useful.
FOR500: Windows Forensic Analysis by SANS
The SANS platform, specialized in cyber security, offers the Windows forensic analysis course, which does not require previous courses. The course is based on the study of cyber crime in the Windows operating system.
During the course, you will learn which are the most effective methods to defend the OpenText computer systems of an organization’s networks. All this is explained using different cases. This is the best way to learn different digital forensic methods as they apply to varying situations.
The Complete Cyber Security Course! - Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4 by StationX
StationX is a cybersecurity company that offers a package of four courses for you to become a cybersecurity analyst. They are quite comprehensive courses that explain all areas of cybersecurity that exist.
The courses are designed for those who want to start a career in cybersecurity or expand their knowledge in this area. During the courses, you will learn how to identify the threats on the network and how to protect yourself from them using the latest tools on the market.
Computer Forensics Fundamentals by Udemy
This is one of the many courses offered by the online course platform Udemy in the area of cyber security. The course is based on cyber security fundamentals, so you only need to have some knowledge of computers and software applications to take the course.
Since this is a basic course, you will learn the process to gather the necessary evidence to go to court and basic concepts of computer forensics, and how to stay protected against any type of threat.
Digital Forensics and Electronic Evidence by Udemy
This is a course especially focused on the evidence that must be collected to perform forensic analysis. It is aimed at legal professionals or anyone else interested in understanding the principles of digital forensics.
During the course, it is explained what evidence must be collected from a computer or cell phone to be legally valid and how to prevent the evidence from being altered to be received in court.
Digital Forensics - Complete Digital Forensics Masterclass by Udemy
This is a course offered by Udemy in which you will learn how to perform digital forensics investigations of any device such as a computer or cell phone. You will also learn the best way to store the information.
Upon completion of the course, you will be able to perform forensic analysis from different devices. You will also know the best techniques and technologies available to perform these digital case analyses.
Forensic Investigator Fundamentals by Udemy
If you are interested in learning what a forensic investigator does, this is the right course for you. It is offered by Udemy and will explain the key concepts to learn about the evidence that an investigator collects and analyzes when conducting a computer forensic examination.
Students of the course will understand one of the most important areas of network security, along with the professional investigative techniques that help an organization maintain its security systems.
Fundamentals of Digital Forensics by Udemy
Udemy offers the Digital Forensics Fundamentals course, which aims to provide an introduction to digital forensics. To take the course, you need basic knowledge of computer science, networking, and ethical hacking.
Several examples will be presented and studied during this course to demonstrate how to collect digital evidence to be presented to a legal audience. You will finish the course being prepared to work in one of the most demanded and important jobs today.
Intermediate Computer Forensics by Udemy
This is the second course following the Fundamentals of Digital Forensics course available on Udemy. This is an intermediate-level course for those with a basic knowledge of computer forensics who wish to continue learning this area of computer forensics.
The course explains how to use the appropriate software to conduct forensic investigations, gather the necessary evidence, and create the reports that need to be done for both public and private investigations. It will prepare you to become a computer forensic analyst.
IT Surveillance and Computer Forensics from Scratch HACKING+ by Udemy
This course offered by Udemy is directed to beginners who wish to learn the basics of surveillance and computer forensics and to professionals in the area. To attend the course, you only need some knowledge of computer science.
In the course, you will get detailed knowledge of the procedures you must perform to search for evidence from different sources and store them. For this purpose, the different methodologies available are explained.
Learning Computer Forensics With Infinite Skills by Udemy
In this Udemy course, you will learn about the skills needed to be a computer forensics investigator and about all the topics related to this industry. You will specifically learn how to search for legal evidence related to cyber crimes.
Throughout the course, you will acquire knowledge on how to acquire evidence to present it in court. This course can also teach you how to use the most useful tools to perform these tasks, such as ProDiscover, FTK, and EnCase.
Mobile Computer Forensics Fundamentals by Udemy
This Udemy course is designed to explain everything related to mobile forensics. To join the course, you don’t need any prior knowledge. It is aimed at anyone who wants to understand more about forensic analyses performed on phones and tablets.
During the course, you will learn the basics of mobile computer forensics and the tools you should use to perform the analysis of a mobile device, and the reports you should present in this case.
Computer Forensics Certifications
There are a few professional certifications you can get for computer forensics. With a certification, you will have more opportunities to obtain high-level positions in cyber security and forensics. Read below to learn more about these certifications.
Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) Certification
This certification from EC-Council aims to validate those professionals in the computer forensics or digital forensics industry. You will be verified as capable of performing all activities related to computer crime investigations and evidence collection.
EnCE Certification
This certification validates professionals in the investigation of computer forensics and the use of OpenText EnCase Forensic software to perform these tasks. OpenText offers this certification, which means you are getting verified directly from the source.
GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner (GCFE) Certification
This certification is a great choice if you want to become a forensic examiner. You will learn the knowledge and skills of those computer forensics professionals who perform forensic analysis on the Windows operating system.
Next Steps After Your Course
After finishing your course, you can decide whether to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Forensics. Professionals in this area can work in different fields and industries and specialize and work in other jobs such as an ethical hacker, information security manager, among others.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, information security analysts earn an average salary of $103,590. The BLS also reports that opportunities in this industry will grow by 31 percent by 2029. This is much higher than the national average growth rate, which the BLS reports as four percent. You should enter the industry and take advantage of this growth.
Should You Learn Computer Forensics?
Yes, you should learn computer forensics with an online course. As the amount of data increases, it becomes necessary to have protection systems in all those companies that handle large amounts of vulnerable information. If you want to work in computer forensics, you should start in 2021.