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CHFI

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(@lewis)
Posts: 11
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Have any forum members attended the CHFI course offered by The Training Camp in the UK? If so, it would be great to hear your feedback/views, not only on the course but also on the qualification in general. For example, was the course/exam fairly elementary or does it delve deeply into forensic computing concepts and practices? Also, how is the CHFI qualification viewed within the industry? How would it compare with the CCE?

Having looked at the syllabus on the EC-Council website, the course content seems somewhat geared to the American market e.g. FBI Procedures, Federal Laws, Patriot Act etc. Is the course and exam content offered in the UK suitably adapted?

If you haven’t attended the CHFI course, have you attended any other courses run by The Training Camp in the UK? If so, how do you rate their teaching methods, do you feel they offer value for money?

Finally, has anyone taken the CHFI exam without attending the associated course? If so, what study material did you use?

Thanks in advance.

Lewis

 
Posted : 01/11/2005 3:10 pm
arashiryu
(@arashiryu)
Posts: 122
Estimable Member
 

Checked out the site. They cover quite a bit. But do not see any practicals for testing.

Most Computer Forensic Certifications have practical requirements to pass. For example, EnCase, CCE etc…

I have CCE. The big difference I see is that CCE is more hands on. In addition to an online exam, you have to pass 3 practicals. I learned quite a bit doing the practicals. Felt like I was working on a actual case.

Anyway, won't hurt to attend since they do cover legal and fundamental aspects of Computer Forensics.

 
Posted : 01/11/2005 9:27 pm
(@lewis)
Posts: 11
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Did you undertake any specific training course for the CCE?

 
Posted : 01/11/2005 11:02 pm
arashiryu
(@arashiryu)
Posts: 122
Estimable Member
 

CCE offers self paced and boot camp style. I went with the boot camp. Passed the online exam on site after the boot camp. Then I recieved my 3 practicals one by one. First you do a forensic examination of a floppy. Second a CD ROM and at last the hard drive. Sighhhh… ;~)

I don't believe CHFI offers self paced / online training or practicals as a requirement to attain the certification. Don't get me wrong, it is still a good foundation level cert, but I prefer practical aspect of the examinations.

 
Posted : 01/11/2005 11:41 pm
 samr
(@samr)
Posts: 119
Estimable Member
 

I did this online course https://reg.coned.kennesaw.edu/wconnect/wc.dll?acecode~CourseStatus~062ZCCP3130A . This course is equivalent to 150 hours of training and is approved training for the CCE. The course covers examinations of floppys, CD-ROMs and harddisks as well as background and filesystem information. I found doing the CCE examination after the course was very similar if not slightly tougher then the assessed exercises throughout the course.

To enter for the CCE you either need 18 months reporting experience, self certified training or some approved training.

 
Posted : 02/11/2005 2:37 pm
(@bjgleas)
Posts: 114
Estimable Member
 

Finally, has anyone taken the CHFI exam without attending the associated course? If so, what study material did you use?

I took and passed the CHFI last year. You can order (at least you could) self-study materials from their website. It consists of a couple of binders, two books, and a few cds of tools. It is the same materials you get if you attend the class.

After a few months of study, I was ready to take the exam, and ran into problems. It turns out it is not (thing may have changed, I haven't checked) a standard prometrics exam - it is a proctored exam. It is normally given at the end of the course and the teacher is the proctor - you can not just go to any testing center an take it. I contacted several training centers who offer the CHFI course, and none of them would proctor me unless I took (or at least paid for) the course. I contacted ec-council, and they said pretty much the same thing - so I asked them why they sold self study materials if you had to take the course. After many phone calls, they finally arranged for a proctor.

As for the test itself, it is detailed and tough - but not impossible. But it doesn't have a practical component, so like others, I view it as an entry-level exam - book knowledge, but no documented experience.

bj

 
Posted : 02/11/2005 7:35 pm
(@yey365)
Posts: 7
Active Member
 

I attended the CHFI course at the Taining Camp. The week begins on Sunday evening and you can expect to have to put in up to 70+ hours of work before you take the exam on the Friday.

The course is predominantly based on US law but the instructor will draw direct comparison with UK equivalents. The course is based on a FAT32 based analysis tool with limited capabilities for NTFS, HFS and EXT2&3 file systems.

The exam is tough but if you put in the extra hours reading (3 books in the week) in addition to the classroom based time, you should pass (80% required)

Format for the week is lectures in the AM, discussion / lab work PM & reading in the evenings.

Is it worth it? I thought so though I did it to acquire a certification that consolidated forensic skill acquired over several years elsewhere.

Hope this helps,

Jim

 
Posted : 03/11/2005 5:42 pm
(@lewis)
Posts: 11
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Thanks to all who have replied so far.

Jim/BJ

I have done a bit more research and found mixed reports regarding the EC-Council and their materials. For instance, their CEH study guide is slated by the majority of reviewers on Amazon. It seems that the grammar, spelling and actual content are very poor. In addition, a training company called Mile2 has distanced itself from EC-Council due to apparent business practice concerns.

I would therefore appreciate if either of you could throw some light on the quality of the materials supplied with the CHFI course. Also, how has your CHFI qualification been greeted among your peers/employers/clients etc? Did you make a conscious decision to take the CHFI instead on the CCE, if so why? What I am trying to ascertain is just how reputable the EC-Council is?

Regarding self study - I checked out the EC-Council website and you can still order self-study material for the CHFI course at a cost of about EUR300 inc. shipping. I also checked on the Prometric website and they do offer regular CHFI exams at all of their testing centres now (at least in Dublin anyway). The exam costs EUR200.00.

So, the choice seems to be, if you are going to take the CHFI, to spend about EUR3500 for a training course or EUR500 for self study. Having been taught the course, how feasible do you think self study is for this exam Jim?

Thanks again.

Lewis

 
Posted : 03/11/2005 6:50 pm
(@razas)
Posts: 2
New Member
 

I took the CHFI last Year and passed it.

The actually exam is a quality online test and quite thorough,

My advise would be to get some study guides etc from the Internet and then maybe a few book , Hacking exposed Computer Froensics etc.

That way youll be ok for the exam assuming you put in the Hours.

In terms of experience you should get encase and try a few sample case files.

Thanks

Raz Sharif - CISSP , CEH , CHFI , ISS

 
Posted : 08/01/2006 9:37 pm
(@joshmcgee)
Posts: 1
New Member
 

To follow

 
Posted : 13/02/2006 10:16 pm
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