About
An eight-week certificate program covering the incident response life cycle, analysis methodology, and the handling of digital forensic evidence for cybersecurity personnel
As cybersecurity breaches continue to affect almost every industry and organization type on a virtually daily basis, the need for personnel with strong skills in handling cybersecurity incidents is as critical as ever. DePaul’s Incident Response and Digital Forensics Program covers the most recent advancements in incident response tactics and tools such as Splunk and SIFT. The program is intended for Security Operations Center (SOC) analysts who have some experience handling aspects of security incidents and want to bring their knowledge and skills to the next level in order to become part of an incident response team. It is also suitable for professionals with a computer forensics background who want to learn about the investigative process to properly scope and investigate incidents. Developing the investigator mindset that is critical to any successful incident response will be strongly stressed throughout the program.
Program participants will:
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Understand the incident response life cycle and methodology
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Learn to collect and handle forensic evidence
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Conduct forensic analysis of major sources of evidence from Windows and Linux systems
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Learn to conduct network and memory forensics of Windows systems
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Learn to triage malicious files, including documents, executables, and scripts
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Learn to write various types of reports and document important information
Program content includes lectures, demos, a review and discussion of case studies, and the completion of various security-related labs such as malware triage that will reinforce concepts covered in class. Students are required to bring their laptop computers to class. In order to successfully install the software used in the program, the student's laptop must have the following minimum or recommended specifications--Operating system: Windows 7 (64-bit) or later preferred, or Mac OS 10.9 or later preferred; Hardware: 4 GB of RAM or better (8 GB-16 GB preferred); at minimum, a 64-bit dual-core CPU (processor), however, a 64-bit quad-core processor or better is recommended; at least 80 GB of free hard drive space should be available for virtual machine storage. Students must have full administrator rights to their personal computers in order to successfully install and use the software.
For a complete program description,
download the program's brochure.
Dates
Spring Quarter 2023:
There is currently no scheduled session for this program.
Fees
Spring Quarter 2023
Tuition
Full payment of tuition must be received before the start of the program. Students who elect to pay tuition using a credit or debit card will be assessed a non-refundable 2.75% convenience fee.
Refund/Cancellation Policy: DePaul reserves the right to cancel any program before that program’s first scheduled meeting, in which case tuition fees (but not convenience fees) will be refunded. The university's refund policy allows a return of 100% of tuition if the student drops the Incident Response and Digital Forensics Program within one week of the first day of the program (convenience fees will not be refunded).
Notice for Current DePaul Students
- Undergraduates: Please be aware that the tuition fee for this program is not included in the university’s full-time term package pricing.
Application Fee
Each program requires a $40.00 (non-refundable) application fee that can be paid online (via credit card) during the online application process. If you need to pay this fee by check or money order, please make the check or money order payable to DePaul University and send it to:
DePaul University Institute for Professional Development
243 S. Wabash Avenue
Room 301
Chicago, IL 60604
Textbooks
Textbooks are a separate purchase to be made by students. Textbook(s) to be announced.
Payment Options
Fees are payable by check made out to DePaul University, or by credit card. Students who elect to pay tuition using a credit or debit card will be assessed a non-refundable 2.75% convenience fee.
Applicants who are eligible for a tuition reimbursement program offered by their employer and are interested in deferring their tuition payment using the university's Employer Tuition Deferral Plan must return the Employer Tuition Deferral Plan application to the Institute for Professional Development Office. Submitting this application to any other DePaul office may delay the student's registration process. Information about this plan, along with an application form, is found
here
.
Applicants who wish to use the university's Single Term Payment Plan or a third-party billing arrangement should contact the Institute for Professional Development office at (312) 362-6282 for details.
Scholarships
The Institute for Professional Development is pleased to announce the continuation of a need-based financial award, the
Chou Family IPD Scholarship, to provide funding for students interested in our certificate programs.
Admissions
Admission Requirements
Applicants should have IT security-related work experience, along with a basic understanding of network fundamentals (i.e., TCP/IP) and experience with Windows and Linux operating systems. Applicants should also have basic knowledge or experience analyzing network traffic, system and application logs, and alerts from security technologies such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and anti-virus software. Students are required to bring their laptop computers to class.
Course Credit
The Incident Response and Digital Forensics Program is catalogued as a non-credit course of DePaul University. A certificate of completion from DePaul University is awarded to those who successfully complete the program's requirements. Program requirements include lab work, reading, and homework assignments, and a case study project. No midterm or final exams are conducted.
The Incident Response and Digital Forensics Program is a graded course. A final grade letter as well as a DePaul transcript (upon request) will be available upon program completion.
Application & Registration Procedure
All interested parties should apply for admission using the Institute for Professional Development's
Application Form and email the completed form to ipd@cdm.depaul.edu. Upon admission, the Institute office will contact the prospective student with registration information and instructions.
You do not have to be an existing DePaul student to take this certificate program. Registration is restricted to individuals who apply for admission to the program and receive an acceptance letter. IPD staff will register applicants upon receipt of payment and registration form.
Regular DePaul students cannot register themselves via the university's registration system. If interested in enrollment, regular DePaul students should begin by submitting an application for admission. Students must meet the program's admission criteria.