Taught by experienced trainers—Certified Computer Crime Investigators, Certified Information Systems Security Professionals (CISSP), A+ and Network+ certified—our hands-on interactive training courses include the nine courses listed below. If your agency or jurisdiction is interested in hosting one of these courses, please contact
Kelly Harris, Deputy Executive Director. For a calendar of current course offerings, see
http://www.search.org/programs/hightech/calendar.asp.
CC1 – Introduction to Internet Crime Investigations
This training introduces law enforcement investigators to the ways in which criminal activity is perpetrated within online computer networks and instructs them in techniques and software tools for working these cases online. This one-day course will introduce compelling topics to participants, who will leave wanting to learn more. Attendees will be exposed to:
- Google as an investigative tool
- Identifying users of MySpace.com and other social networking sites
- Tracing emails and Web sites
- Understanding Internet Protocol (IP) and how to trace IP addresses
- Who owns a specific Web site and where to serve search warrants
Prerequisite: An interest in investigating computer crime and the Internet.
CC2 – The Investigation of Computer Crime
The Internet is alive and well, and is a dynamic resource for millions worldwide. It is also a place for criminals to prey on unsuspecting victims. Many victims are children, some are adults, while others are corporations. This 4˝-day course teaches criminal justice investigators and support staff how to investigate high-technology theft and computer-related crime. It provides participants with an understanding of computer technology, its application to criminal endeavors, and the issues associated with investigating these cases. SEARCH will provide current real-world case studies and solutions that can be adapted to your current investigations. We will also discuss:
- Identity theft
- Internet-based fraud
- Child exploitation
- Hacking and compromised systems
- Phishing
Prerequisites: Be a basic-to-intermediate computer user. An understanding of multiple platforms is helpful.
CC4 – Investigation of Online Child Exploitation, Level I
This one-week course provides law enforcement investigators and support staff with the skills necessary to conduct proactive Internet investigations involving child exploitation. These include how to initiate criminal investigations, establish undercover accounts and identities, and engage offenders legally and effectively. Attendees will learn the current trends of pedophiles online in 2007, and how they target their victims using various methods including MySpace, chat, and other Web-based methods. We will also cover:
- Victimology
- Profile of the child predator
- State versus Federal prosecution: How to help each other
Prerequisite: Complete SEARCH’s The Investigation of Computer Crime (CC2) course. Be an intermediate-to-advanced computer user, and be comfortable navigating the Internet.
CC5 – Investigation of Online Child Exploitation, Level II
This four-day Level II course expands on the learning modules and fundamentals introduced in the Level I course, and includes a detailed study of the Internet using America Online, Google, MySpace, and other online resources as investigative tools. Topics include peer-to-peer (Bear Share, BitTorrent) investigations; desktop surveillance and advanced investigative resources; virtual child pornography, which includes video enhancing and morphing; Yahoo, chat, and clubs; F-serves; downloading and configuring AIM, Trillium, FTP, Cute FTP, and ICQ; identifying other software programs; instant messaging as a tool and an investigative resource; and seeding information to newsgroups and IRC. Attendees will learn using real-world scenarios presented by SEARCH’s cadre of instructors.
Prerequisite: Complete SEARCH’s The Investigation of Computer Crime (CC2) and Investigation of Online Child Exploitation, Level 1 (CC4) courses. Be an intermediate-to-advanced user, and be able to navigate comfortably on the Internet.
CC8 – Advanced Responders: Search and Seizure of Networks
This new and paradigm-changing course expands a law enforcement investigator’s ability to collect digital evidence at crime scenes. Extensive research has been conducted in the area of Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) networks common today with broadband Internet connections. Traditional digital evidence collection methods frequently result in evidence being left at the crime scene or potential evidence being inadvertently deleted from computers entirely.
This three-day, hands-on SEARCH course instructs law enforcement investigators in the skills and techniques of (1) how to conduct pre-raid electronic surveillance of a target location to help identify wireless networks and access points, and (2) how to locate these networks and access points once the scene is secured. The course material also covers how to recover volatile evidence from common SOHO routers and from running Windows systems, how to make an image of the running memory (commonly referred to as RAM) of a Windows computer, and how to recover information about wirelessly attached devices to a computer. The final practical exam for the course includes an actual search of a SOHO network. We will also discuss:
- How to identify routers, switches, and hubs
- Where does volatile memory reside and how to capture it
- Understanding the WAN/LAN and SAN
Prerequisite: Complete SEARCH’s The Investigation of Computer Crime (CC2) course.
CC9 – Core Skills for the Investigation of Cellular Devices
Cellular devices are more common today than computers. Terrorist attacks, rapes, assaults, drug-growing operations, child exploitation, and many other crimes are committed using cellular devices. These devices can contain a wealth of evidence for law enforcement. To conduct a thorough investigation, data has to be retrieved from cellular devices and properly analyzed. This four-day course teaches investigators how to approach the investigation of cellular devices and how these devices are different than traditional computer-based investigations. It covers the basics of cellular networks and how cellular devices function in those networks, as well as the current hardware and software required to obtain evidence from cellular devices. Law enforcement officers, investigators, analysts, and forensic examiners attending this course will obtain the basic skills necessary to conduct cellular devices investigations and retrieve data from seized devices. Through hands-on training, course attendees will learn using the latest tools and data collection methodologies available.
Prerequisite: None.
