WF0 Module Summary

What this module established

Section 0.1 defined forensic analysis as evidence-based reconstruction. The three-level confidence framework (definitive, probable, inconclusive) applies to every finding in this course and in your casework. Corroboration across independent artifact sources is the standard that separates a lead from evidence.

Section 0.2 explained the investigation-question structure. Ten content modules, each answering one question an investigator needs answered. Fieldcraft cards are operational procedures you use during the course and return to during casework. The Forensic Lab provides independent practice cases. The course works as both a learning path and a field reference.

Section 0.3 mapped the complete forensic toolstack. Open-source artifact parsers (EZ tools, The Sleuth Kit, Autopsy, Bulk Extractor, RegRipper, Plaso). Collection and acquisition tools (KAPE, Velociraptor, Magnet RAM Capture, FTK Imager, Encrypted Disk Detector). Commercial platforms (Magnet Axiom Cyber, Cellebrite, X-Ways, EnCase). Forensic Linux distributions (CAINE, PALADIN, CSI Linux). Memory analysis frameworks (Volatility 3, MemProcFS). No single tool covers every forensic need. The working examiner maintains a toolkit that spans the full landscape.

Section 0.4 covered where forensic analysis is applied: corporate investigations, incident response, law enforcement, civil litigation, malware analysis, and educational settings. The tools and artifacts are the same across investigation types. What changes is the legal context, the standard of proof, and the questions driving the investigation.

Section 0.5 established best practices. Maintain tool integrity through verified downloads and hash checking. Document every procedure as it happens. Validate tools on known data before casework. Stay current with tool updates and community research. Combine tools for corroboration. Follow sound methodology: tools parse evidence, methodology produces findings.

Section 0.6 set up the analysis workstation. Directory structure, tool installation (EZ suite, Autopsy, KAPE, Velociraptor, RegRipper, Bulk Extractor, TSK, Volatility 3, Plaso, FTK Imager, Arsenal Image Mounter), forensic distribution options, evidence handling practices, and the VM snapshot that provides your clean baseline.

What comes next

Module 1 covers evidence acquisition and triage. The decisions you make in the first 30 minutes of an investigation determine what evidence is available for every module that follows. Memory vanishes at power-off. Event logs get overwritten. Encrypted drives become inaccessible without the right keys. Module 1 teaches you to collect evidence in the correct order, with the correct tools, producing the analysis-ready evidence package that the rest of this course works from.