Brett Shavers's Blog, page 4

I paid $250,000 to learn forensics…and still don’t know forensics...

I have a confession: I’ve spent over $250,000 in my career on learning digital forensics and incident response (DF/IR) and for the licenses, subscriptions, and renewals. From college courses to certification programs, training courses, conferences, b...

Thinking Beyond Tools: Elevate Your DF/IR Skills with an Investigative Mindset

I am proud to announce that I will be delivering the keynote presentation at Magnet Forensics' Magnet Virtual Summit (MVS) 2025 on February 11, 2025. The title of my session is: "Thinking Beyond Tools: Elevate Your DF/IR Skills with an Investigative ...

Do narcs make the best DF/IR investigators?

The digital forensics field attracts a wide range of professionals from diverse backgrounds. Still, one trend that caught my curiosity years ago was the number of narcotics investigators ("narcs") that I met who transitioned into digital forensics. A...

Mirror Image Mindset: Thinking Like a Cybercriminal, Hacker, Criminal, and Computer User

"Thinking like your adversary" is a cornerstone of effective investigations. But there is a common misconception: thinking like your adversary (aka: mirror image mindset) doesn’t mean becoming the person you’re investigating. It’s not an exact m...

DF/IR: One Station in the Assembly Line

I’ve got to give credit where it’s due: Brigs, the DF/IR Meme Master, knows how to poke fun at our collective sense of importance. One of his recent memes nailed an uncomfortable truth: as much as we value our DF/IR work, it’s not always the center o...

Raising the Bar: Establishing a Common Baseline in DFIR

There’s a growing conversation on social media in DFIR around what every practitioner—especially at the entry level—should know before turning on a computer to work a case. Technology’s sheer complexity and advancing pace makes formal, standardized t...

The Final DFIR Investigative Mindset Book Challenge of 2024 – Only 100 Spots Available!

Earlier this year, I hosted the DFIR Investigative Mindset Book Challenge, and the response was incredible. Nearly 1,000 DFIR practitioners signed up to enhance their investigative skills and earn a free copy of DFIR Investigative Mindset. While the ...

A New DFIR Investigative Mindset Book Challenge is Coming...

I’m bringing back the DFIR Investigative Mindset book challenge one more time. I planned to make this a one-time event with 1,000 signups. Here is the wrench in that plan:  Of the 1,000 that signed up, only 787 completed the challenge.  The...

DFIR’s Degree Debate: Do Degrees Deliver, or Does Direct Experience Dominate in Digital Forensics?

There’s an ongoing debate in DFIR: some believe a college degree is essential, while others argue that hands-on experience often matters more. Both sides have a point. With that, this field does need structured standards like other professions, but w...

DFIR Investigative Strategies

I'm thrilled to share an early look at Placing the Suspect Behind the Keyboard, Vol 3: DFIR Investigative Strategies, set for release in 2025. This book is crafted to push beyond the bounds of traditional DFIR. It’s more than a manual—it’s a transfor...