DFIR Diva

DFIR Related Events for Beginners – November, 2020

This is geared toward DFIR beginners, but there is something for all skill levels. All events listed are virtual. Type “free” in the search box to only show free events. Type “under” in the search box to show events under $50. Be sure to hit the “Load More Events” button until you see “No More Events”. If I missed something when I originally posted this, I’ll add it, so check back or subscribe for updates. CLICK THE “LOAD MORE EVENTS” BUTTON TO SEE ALL EVENTS Ongoing CTFs and challenges have been moved to the Free Training page. Ongoing Events Magnet...

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How Your Home Lab Can Help Fight COVID-19

I was scrolling through Twitter a few days ago when I saw a couple Tweets about Folding@home. Having never heard of it before, I went to their website to see what it was all about. This is a quote from their website: “While you keep going with your everyday activities, your computer will be working to help us find cures for diseases like cancer, ALS, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Influenza and many others.” Another quote from their website: “The Folding@home software allows you to share your unused computer power with us – so that we can research even more potential cures.” I...

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How I’ve Been Studying for Certifications

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the resources I used for certifications and how I study for them. I may be a little ‘extra’ with my resources after failing an exam ten years ago, but I haven’t had to retake an exam since. These are my current certifications in the order taken: 2010 (Feb): CompTIA A+ 2010 (March): CompTIA Network+ 2016 (Dec): CompTIA Security+ 2017 (March): (ISC)2 SSCP (Systems Security Certified Practitioner) 2017 (Aug): CompTIA CySA+ (Cybersecurity Analyst) 2018 (June): Cisco CCNA Cyber Ops 2018 (Sept): EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) 2019 (July): Microsoft Azure Fundamentals 2019 (Nov):...

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The Evolution of my Home Lab: From Break-Fix to Forensics

One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is play around in my home lab. Aside from being fun (to me anyway), home labs are a great way to get hands on experience using different hardware and software. To demonstrate what a home lab can be used for, I will talk about what I have personally done in my home lab over the years. In 2009, I started studying for the A+ certification exam. I put an ad on Freecycle looking for unwanted computers and computer equipment so I could practice repairing them. This was the beginning...

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My Journey into DFIR

Prior to getting into IT, I held various positions such as office manager, accounts payable clerk, truck driver, and loss prevention agent. My father was a programmer for Sperry Univac and I loved going there with him on Take Your Kid to Work Day. In 1999, I started college as a Computer Science major but algorithms and subsequent calculus classes quickly changed that. Math was definitely not my strong point. I changed my major to Criminal Justice and planned on getting a CSI certificate as part of the degree. I liked investigating things. I was about six classes away from...

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Hello and Welcome to my Blog!

I entered the DFIR field in May of 2019 and created this site to document the resources I use as I learn and grow in DFIR. I’m hoping it will help others who are interested in the field or who are also just getting started. Under DFIR Resources, you will find books, training, webinars, videos, and other resources that I have found to be helpful. There are also over 400 training courses listed in the Free and Affordable Training sections. This is a personal blog and all views are my own.

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