Foundation
Evidence Collection & Preservation
Evidence bagging, tamper-proof sealing, digital hashing, write-blocking, and contamination prevention protocols.
What You Learn
A structured, foundation-to-professional pathway in digital evidence handling and chain of custody, following forensic methodology accepted in Australian courts.
Digital Evidence & Chain of Custody teaches systematic, defence-ready forensic evidence handling: from on-scene collection and tamper-proof sealing through to digital hashing, write-blocked imaging, custody voucher documentation, and maintaining an unbroken chain that meets ASD Essential Eight, ISM, and Australian federal court admissibility standards.
Core Module
Chain of Custody Documentation
Custody vouchers, transfer logs, evidence registers, continuity statements, and the legal consequences of a broken chain.
Professional
Legal Frameworks & Admissibility
Australian Evidence Act provisions, AFP Forensic Guidelines, ISM compliance, and what makes evidence admissible vs inadmissible.
Module Content
Practical, operator-grade exercises using professional evidence handling kits, hardware write-blockers, forensic imaging tools, and simulated court evidence packets.
This Digital Evidence & Chain of Custody module covers: first responder scene protocols, digital hashing and integrity verification, write-blocked forensic imaging, evidence bagging and tagging, custody voucher systems, and Australian court admissibility standards — ensuring every piece of evidence you handle would survive voir dire.
First Responder Protocols
Scene arrival, securing the environment, triage decisions, and the golden hour of evidence preservation.
Digital Hashing & Integrity
MD5/SHA hashing at collection, hash verification workflows, and maintaining integrity across evidence lifecycle.
Write-Blocking & Imaging
Hardware and software write-blockers, forensic imaging with FTK Imager and dd, and verification of forensic images.
Evidence Bagging & Tagging
Physical evidence handling, tamper-evident bags, exhibit numbering, and cross-referencing digital and physical evidence.
Custody Voucher Systems
Designing and maintaining custody logs, transfer documentation, access control records, and audit trails.
Court Admissibility Standards
Understanding Australian Evidence Act 1995 (Cth), s 138 discretion, s 135 exclusion, and how to ensure your evidence survives voir dire.
Tools & Standards Used
Professional forensics environment. Same standards as state and federal digital forensics laboratories.
Hacking101 Digital Evidence & Chain of Custody is taught using: professional evidence bagging kits, hardware write-blockers (Tableau/CRU), FTK Imager, NIST hash verification tools, and structured custody documentation templates — the same platforms used by AFP Digital Forensics and state police e-crime units. Compliance benchmarks include ASD Essential Eight (data handling), ASD ISM 1534, and relevant state Evidence Act provisions.
✓ ASD Essential Eight
✓ ASD ISM
✓ AFP Forensic Guidelines
🔒 $10M Cyber Liability
🏢 AU-East Hosted
Advisories
This module is built under the express tuteallage of two specialist practitioners who bring together the cutting edge of machine learning and the hard-won credibility of the courtroom. You study directly under their guidance.
Christopher Tran — Resident Machine Learning Expert
Christopher Tran provides the express tuteallage for the AI and machine learning components of this module. He will show you, step by step, how machine learning models and predictive algorithms converge to enhance digital evidence correlation: automated hash-set comparison against known-bad and known-good reference databases, machine-learning-driven timeline reconstruction from disparate forensic artifacts, anomaly detection in custody logs and access records that flags potential evidence tampering or gaps, and predictive classification of evidence integrity risk factors across complex multi-device investigations. Under his instruction you will build and apply real ML pipelines that strengthen the forensic examiner's confidence in digital evidence integrity — tooling designed to support and strengthen evidentiary conclusions, never to replace the examiner's judgment. Christopher ensures every student leaves with a working understanding of how AI augments digital evidence handling, from automated hash verification through to generating court-ready visual evidence of unbroken chain of custody.
Christopher Tran provides the express tuteallage for the AI and machine learning components of this module. He will show you, step by step, how machine learning models and predictive algorithms converge to enhance digital evidence correlation: automated hash-set comparison against known-bad and known-good reference databases, machine-learning-driven timeline reconstruction from disparate forensic artifacts, anomaly detection in custody logs and access records that flags potential evidence tampering or gaps, and predictive classification of evidence integrity risk factors across complex multi-device investigations. Under his instruction you will build and apply real ML pipelines that strengthen the forensic examiner's confidence in digital evidence integrity — tooling designed to support and strengthen evidentiary conclusions, never to replace the examiner's judgment. Christopher ensures every student leaves with a working understanding of how AI augments digital evidence handling, from automated hash verification through to generating court-ready visual evidence of unbroken chain of custody.
Ms. Linda Morrell — ASFDE (Australasian Society of Forensic Document Examiners)
Ms. Linda Morrell is a bonafide, dues-paying member of the Australasian Society of Forensic Document Examiners — the peak professional body governing forensic document examination across Australia and New Zealand. She has been directly involved in hundreds of Australian cases spanning civil fraud, probate disputes, identity theft, and criminal forgery prosecutions. Her expert opinions on chain of custody integrity and evidence handling have been tendered and accepted in Australian courts, where she is recognised as a respected authority whose testimony withstands adversarial cross-examination. In this module, Ms. Morrell provides the express tuteallage for the forensic methodology, courtroom preparation, and professional practice components. She teaches evidence collection to evidentiary standard, custody voucher design and maintenance, continuity statement preparation, structured opinion formation, expert report writing, and witness-box conduct — the same standards she herself applies when stepping into an Australian courtroom to testify on chain of custody. Her involvement ensures that every technique taught in this course meets the admissibility benchmarks expected by Australian federal and state courts.
Ms. Linda Morrell is a bonafide, dues-paying member of the Australasian Society of Forensic Document Examiners — the peak professional body governing forensic document examination across Australia and New Zealand. She has been directly involved in hundreds of Australian cases spanning civil fraud, probate disputes, identity theft, and criminal forgery prosecutions. Her expert opinions on chain of custody integrity and evidence handling have been tendered and accepted in Australian courts, where she is recognised as a respected authority whose testimony withstands adversarial cross-examination. In this module, Ms. Morrell provides the express tuteallage for the forensic methodology, courtroom preparation, and professional practice components. She teaches evidence collection to evidentiary standard, custody voucher design and maintenance, continuity statement preparation, structured opinion formation, expert report writing, and witness-box conduct — the same standards she herself applies when stepping into an Australian courtroom to testify on chain of custody. Her involvement ensures that every technique taught in this course meets the admissibility benchmarks expected by Australian federal and state courts.
Christopher Tran
Machine Learning Specialist
Resident expert providing express tuteallage in AI-enhanced digital evidence correlation. Christopher teaches machine-learning-driven hash-set comparison, anomaly detection in custody logs, automated timeline reconstruction from forensic artifacts, and how to generate court-admissible visual evidence of unbroken chain of custody from ML outputs — all tooling built and demonstrated within this module.
Ms. Linda Morrell
ASFDE — Australasian Society of Forensic Document Examiners
Bonafide ASFDE member with direct involvement in hundreds of Australian cases. A courtroom-recognised authority on chain of custody whose expert opinions have been accepted in Australian federal and state jurisdictions. Ms. Morrell provides the express tuteallage for forensic methodology, courtroom preparation, opinion formation, and expert-witness conduct — ensuring every student learns to the standard she herself upholds under cross-examination.
Study Options
Self-Paced Essential
$1,290
- Full module video library
- 8+ hands-on evidence handling lab sets
- Certificate of completion
- Access to custody documentation templates
Coached Professional
$2,490
- Everything in Essential
- Weekly coach review of custody exercises
- Courtroom testimony mock sessions
- Priority report feedback
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need prior legal training?
No. All legal and procedural fundamentals are included. This module can be taken standalone, though pairing it with Forensic Analysis 101 is recommended for a complete digital forensics skillset.
No. All legal and procedural fundamentals are included. This module can be taken standalone, though pairing it with Forensic Analysis 101 is recommended for a complete digital forensics skillset.
Directory: www.hacking101.com.au/forensic-analysis-101/digital-evidence-chain-of-custody/
Parent path: www.hacking101.com.au/forensic-analysis-101/