The EC-Council exam coded 312-49 helps candidates obtain the Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator certification, briefly known as CHFI. It focuses on offering the applicants the opportunity to improve their knowledge of digital forensics.

Intended Audience

The target audience for this exam is formed of all the specialists who want to get a clear and consolidated grasp of how to manage computer forensics, system security, and incident response topics. To be more specific, this test targets IT Managers, Digital Forensics Service Providers, and individuals who work in related positions in government agencies. Besides, the applicants working in police or defense and security agencies will find this evaluation useful for their career path. What is more, the legal professionals and those who are active in banking and insurance domains will discover that they can learn a lot by following the topics included in the EC-Council 312-49 test blueprint.

Structure and Recommendations for Prospective Exam-Takers

Before they enroll in the actual 312-49 exam, the candidates should find all relevant details to understand what’s expected from their side. So, they should be ready to answer 150 questions in 4 hours, and the format of the given tasks is multiple-choice, which makes the exam difficulty quite high. In addition, the registration procedure must be finalized on the vendor’s official network. As for the prior skills, the vendor suggests that the specialists should have a fundamental knowledge of and general IT topics. In addition, they will have higher chances to pass the test in question if they are aware of the way to monitor incident response and computer forensics. Another recommendation coming from EC-Council includes basic knowledge of how the management of threat vectors is handled.

Skills Validated by Official Test

The potential examinees can considerably improve their odds of getting the passing grade in the 312-49 test if they showcase that they consolidated their knowledge of the subsequent topics:

• Understanding how to manage computer forensics and develop the investigation process to meet the business requirements;
• Configuring and installing the file systems and hard disks;
• Managing data acquisition and duplication processes as well as learning how to use anti-forensics methods;
• Improving knowledge of Linux, network, Mac, and Windows forensics;
• Performing in-depth analysis on web attacks & email crimes;
• Understanding how to manage databases, mobile, IoT, malware, cloud, and dark web forensics.

Training Opportunities to Pass EC-Council 312-49 Exam

After assessing the exam blueprint and understanding its key objectives, the next step would be to identify the available training resources. For this evaluation, the candidates can improve their acumen with the aid of the following preparation materials:

• MasterClass Computer Forensics Program

  This MasterClass helps candidates improve their competence for Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator, Certified Incident Handler/Response, and Computer Forensic Deep Dives specializations. The section dedicated to the CHFI certification includes a live course dedicated to this topic plus the exam insurance program and a self-paced streaming video course. During this MasterClass, the attendees will have the opportunity to develop robust abilities in computer forensics and go through 40 exercises that put them in real-world situations. To add more, the lab’s duration is approximately 14 hours, and it helps the exam-takers understand how they can apply the theoretical information to real business scenarios. In addition, the course follows the official test syllabus and will help the candidates learn how to manage scenario modeling and offer support in proactive profiling. Besides, they will identify different types of anti-forensic detection methods as well as know how to finalize a post-intrusion analysis and identify the effects it had on the business. In case of an attack, the professionals who attend this class will know how to apply recovery methods on Linux, Windows, or Mac together with conducting a reverse engineering strategy to identify suspect malware files.

• Computer Forensics: Investigating File and Operating Systems, Wireless Networks, and Storage (CHFI), 2nd Edition (Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator) by EC-Council

  The candidates who want to pass the formal EC-Council 312-49 test can use this book to learn how to track and prosecute any cyber-criminal attempt that might affect their business’ systems, and it can be purchased from Amazon.com. As it’s one of the vendor’s official preparation materials, it follows the test blueprint. So, here, the readers will learn how to collect evidence after an attack and follow a comprehensive strategy that will allow them to prevent future attacks. What is more, the learners will gain advanced knowledge of how to perform a forensics investigation and complete analysis post-event. Thus, they will not only identify the effects that the respective attack had on their organization but will also be able to collect legal evidence that will help the authorities.

• Incident Response & Computer Forensics, Third Edition by Jason T. Luttgens, Matthew Pepe, and Kevin Mandia

  Even though this book does not specifically focus on the official 312-49 exam, it helps the candidates gain additional knowledge of how to manage computer forensics and incident response situations. The book is available on Amazon.com and can be considered a practical resource that will offer explanations for each phase of the incident response strategy. Therefore, the readers will learn about data collection and analysis, process preparation, and remediation techniques. In addition, it includes various case studies with real examples to help the candidates envision what they should do at their job when they encounter such a situation. Other topics included in this book focus on performing malware triage, preserving and collecting live data, or performing forensic duplication. What is more, the learners have the opportunity to learn with the help of examples how they can investigate the computer’s systems as well as creating and building implementation plans. Besides, the professionals who want to get certified must be capable of developing leads, identifying indicators for compromise, and determining the scope of the incident. So, this topic will be attentively detailed in this material as well.

Conclusion

Applicants who go through diverse training materials will have higher chances to pass the EC-Council 312-49 test from the first try. Even though the vendor developed a detailed MasterClass to help the examinees leverage their competence in computer forensics, the candidates shouldn’t stop at this resource only. So, the next phase would be to identify additional books available on Amazon.com to learn how to manage the tested topics from a different perspective.