DFCS 615: Collection and Examination of Digital Evidence

DFCS 615 is a three-credit course at the University of Maryland Global Campus. UMGC describes it as a hands-on introduction to the collection and examination phases of digital evidence processing, with objectives to identify data, create and analyze forensic images, and use appropriate tools and techniques to support a cybercrime investigation.

It is a core early course in the digital forensics sequence, and DFCS 625, 635 and 645 list it as a prerequisite along with DFCS 605. UMGC notes that credit may be received for only one of DFC 610 or DFCS 615. The challenge is combining tool skill with careful method.

What DFCS 615 Covers

Key Concepts Explained

Forensic Imaging

A forensic image is an exact bit-for-bit copy of a drive or partition. A write blocker prevents the examiner from changing the original, and matching hashes prove the copy is identical.

File Systems and Deleted Data

File systems keep tables that map names to locations on disk. Deleting a file often removes the entry but not the data, which is why deleted content can sometimes be recovered until it is overwritten.

Root Cause Analysis

Root cause analysis asks what started an incident, not only what it affected. Build a timeline from artifacts and test each explanation against it.

Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them

Where Students Get Stuck

• Skipping verification. Always hash before and after.
• Tool output without interpretation. Explain what an artifact means.
• Timeline errors. Note time zones and clock settings.
• Mobile variety. Methods differ by device and operating system; state your assumptions.

Planning Your Work

A timeline table with time, source, event and significance is often the clearest way to present an examination.

A Worked Timeline Example

The entries are illustrative. A timeline like this lets a reader see how separate artifacts support one story, and it makes gaps and alternative explanations visible.

Use one time zone throughout and say which. Many mistakes in forensic work come from mixing local times and UTC, or from assuming a device clock was correct. If you can, note any known clock offset and how you checked it.

Finally, practice explaining the limits of a tool. If a tool can read some mobile formats but not others, say so, and state what you did to confirm results, such as comparing with a second tool or a known test file.

Final Checks Before Submitting

Check that each image has a source hash and an image hash recorded, that your method note lists tool names and settings, and that every finding states where the artifact was found so another examiner could locate it.

Study Tips for DFCS 615

• Practice on practice images with known contents so you can check your findings.
• Learn how timestamps differ across file systems.
• Write the method before the findings in each report.
• Keep a cheat sheet of tool settings and what they change.

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