External Certified Forensic Computer Examiner Process

The International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists is pleased to offer the External Certified Forensic Computer Examiner process, which is open to active law enforcement officers and others who qualify for membership in IACIS®. The External CFCE process can be particularly helpful to qualified examiners who cannot attend the IACIS® CFCE Training conferences offered throughout the world each year.

The External CFCE process is open to qualified applicants who believe that they have the necessary training and experience to become a Certified Forensic Computer Examiner. The applicant must submit an application, along with the required fee, in order to be considered for the process.

IACIS® will review the application, and IACIS® will be the sole decision maker in the acceptance or rejection of any application as it deems appropriate. In the event that an application is rejected, all fees paid to IACIS® will be refunded.

NOTE: While the CFCE certification is attainable without attending the IACIS® CFCE Training conference, IACIS® recommends that all students should attend the IACIS® CFCE Training conference.

Description:

The External CFCE process allows those that have extensive instruction, training and/or experience to receive certification as a Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE). This is a rigorous testing process. The practical portion of the process consists of three (3) diskette problems, one (1) USB thumbdrive forensic image, one (1) "wildcard" problem (the wildcard problem changes on an annual basis - it may involve an examination of media and/or written exercises such as policy creation or tool validation), one (1) hard disk drive problem, one (1) CD problem, and a written final examination. Each problem must be examined, the technical issues must be solved, and a thorough report must be prepared before continuing on to the next problem. The reports and evidence must be presented to IACIS® in a manner that indicates that sound forensic procedures were used to conduct the examination and that the applicant understands the technical issues. There will be a thorough written examination at the conclusion of the process.

The practical exercises and final exam used in the external CFCE process are identical to those who complete the IACIS® CFCE training conference and enter the CFCE after the event.

Classification of External Candidates:

Candidates who enter the External CFCE qualify for assistance from an IACIS® Certified Forensic Computer Examiner. However, the following criteria establish whether the candidate qualifies for a coach or monitor.

1. Candidates who qualify for a Coach: If the candidate attended the IACIS® CFCE Training Conference within the past three years, he or she qualifies to have a regular coach assigned to him or her. For example, if you enter the External CFCE this year (April/May of 2009), you must have attended the IACIS® CFCE Training Conference in 2005, 2006, or 2007 in order to qualify for a coach. This means that the student will receive assistance throughout the entire process from the coach on every practical exercise. No assistance is provided for the final exam. In addition, the candidate must satisfy the IACIS® membership requirements.

   NOTE: Assuming you qualify for a coach, an additional fee of $100 is added to our base fee, $675. Therefore, the fee is $775 for a coach. None of our coaches receive any monetary benefits, nor are they paid for coaching. The added fee is paid directly to the organization.

2. Candidates who qualify for a Monitor: If the candidate has not attended the IACIS® CFCE Training Conference within the past three years, he or she qualifies to have a monitor assigned to him or her. Candidates who have attended the IACIS® CFCE Training Conference within the past three years can request a monitor over a coach and pay the lesser fee. If the candidate is assigned to a monitor, this means that the student will receive assistance with all aspects of completing Problem #1 (first practical of the CFCE) to include technical assistance, report writing edits, and so on. Once the Problem #1 report is complete and approved by the monitor, the student will move on to the next practical exercise, Problem #2. However, the student will receive no further assistance from the monitor for the remainder of the process. The monitor will simply approve or disapprove the reports for each problem. If the student successfully finishes each problem, he or she will move on to the next problem. If the student's Problem #2 through #6 reports are not approved when submitted, there will be NO opportunities to edit, modify, or correct any issues. If the report is not approved by the monitor, the candidate will be dismissed from the CFCE process. No assistance is provided for the final exam. In addition, the candidate must satisfy the IACIS® membership requirements. The fee for a monitor is $675.

   NOTE: The final examination has 100 questions dealing with a variety of fundamental computer forensic/digital evidence issues. The examination is the capstone of the CFCE process, and NO assistance is given by IACIS® staff or any other person. The examination has a pre-defined points system in which questions are classified by ¼, ½, or 1 point increments depending on the content of the question. To pass, the student must achieve 80 out of 100 points (80% or better). Students may submit their exam ONCE! Unlike years past, we no longer allow students to edit/modify/correct their exams. It's a one shot deal so ensure you schedule enough time to thoroughly complete the examination.

Students who successfully complete the reports and required documents for Problems #1 through #6 and pass the final exam with a score of 80 or more points out of 100 will be awarded the CFCE. If a student completes all six problems but fails the final examination, the student will NOT receive the CFCE. Obviously, the CFCE Final Exam is intense and difficult, and it requires ample time, good resources, and dedication on your part to successfully pass.

Mandatory Deadlines for External CFCE Candidates (2009-10):

External CFCE candidates must comply with the mandatory deadlines for completing each practical exercise of the process, including the final exam. For clarification, meeting a deadline means that you have completed the report for the given problem and your coach/monitor has approved you to move on to the next problem by the deadline. If your report requires edits or additional issues to address, and you have not met the deadline, you will be dismissed from the process. The deadlines for the 2009-10 External CFCE Process are as follows:

• Registration: April 1, 2009 to May 9, 2009 at 2359 hours (GMT)
• Problem #1: July 1, 2009 at 2359 hours (GMT, -0000)
• Problem #4: October 1, 2009 at 2359 hours (GMT, -0000)
• Problem #5: November 15, 2009 at 2359 hours (GMT, -0000)
• Problem #6: February 15, 2010 at 2359 hours (GMT, -0000)
• Final Exam: March 15, 2010 at 2359 hours (GMT, -0000)

Fees:

The fees associated with the external CFCE are listed below. Candidates must complete the application located at the bottom of this page. Send the application and appropriate fee to IACIS® as listed below. If the application is denied, the candidate or payee (whichever applies) will receive a full refund. Once the candidate is approved to enter the External CFCE, the fee is non-refundable. Should the candidate decide to withdraw and/or doesn't complete the process for any reason, including not understanding the technical issues or using sound forensic examination procedures, the fee is non-refundable. The fee will include all required certification problems necessary to complete the process. IACIS® will provide the candidate with one DOS-based software tool to complete the first few problems, but beyond that, software and hardware is NOT provided.

External CFCE Candidates assigned to a COACH: $775
External CFCE Candidates assigned to a MONITOR: $675

Selection Process:

Candidates must submit an application along with the tuition fee in order to be considered for the process. Registration for the External CFCE opens on April 1, 2009 and ends on May 9, 2010. IACIS® will be the sole decision maker in the acceptance or rejection of any application as it deems appropriate. The applicant must be an active law enforcement officer or be an employee of a government agency who regularly conducts forensic computer examinations in order to qualify for the External CFCE process.

Certifications:

If the student successfully completes the process, they will be awarded the IACIS® Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE) certification. This certification is the same certification received by IACIS® trained examiners.

Registration:

Additional Questions: If you have any additional questions regarding the course then please send an email to cfce@cops.org.

Send the application and fee to:

IACIS®
P.O. Box 1728
Fairmont, WV 26555
United States of America