Finding the Right Candidate for Digital Forensics and Incident Response: What to Ask and Why During an Interview

So, you’re looking to add a digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) expert to your team. Great choice! But before you bring one on board, you’ve got to ask the right questions. We all know how difficult it is to find the right candidate in this industry. And hiring the wrong candidate can be detrimental to your team, whether it be team morale or poor customer satisfaction. Trust me, we’ve all been there. Whether you are new in the interviewer seat or have decades of experience, this guide can help you navigate the interview process. For this post, we will focus solely on technical questions for the role of a DFIR Analyst (or Senior Analyst) at an Incident Response (IR) firm. These questions may vary depending on the company and specific role.

1.    Walk me through the steps of an IR investigation.

This should be the bread and butter for every interview, and it’s a great way to start the conversation (after introductions, of course). If someone “claims” to have experience in the DFIR world, this should be straightforward. And if they can’t answer this, then that’s a great way to save yourself time and end the interview early (Kidding, but it is a good indicator of their experience level). This question also helps you see if they’ve been involved in the entire IR investigation process. If they were just a SOC analyst, they might only mention receiving alerts and performing analysis, without discussing scoping or the Statement of Work (SOW) process. A good follow-up might be asking them to share examples of recent cases they’ve worked on. If the role is entry-level, consider asking them to explain what they believe the goals and process of an IR investigation are.

2.    When beginning forensic analysis of a system image, what artifacts do you like to analyze first? And why?

As forensic examiners, we all have our methods of tackling a forensic image. Experienced candidates will have go-to artifacts they like to start off with. The key part of this question is the “why.” There’s no single right answer (although there definitely can be wrong ones). Can they explain the reason why they would look at the events logs, or the reason why they will look in the registry, etc.? This question can also lead to more specific questions about different artifacts or tools they’ve used.

3.    Ask about common threat actor Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs)

Okay so I know you may be thinking anyone can read off the MITRE ATT&CK framework, but the goal here is to have candidates tie their answers to their experience and explain how they’d identify these TTPs through forensics. For example, you could ask them to explain methods threat actors use to move laterally across a network. Do they mention specific event logs or registry keys? Bonus points if they can rattle off some event IDs.

4.    How do you ensure the integrity of the evidence you collect? (e.g., as evidence changes hands, creating images, etc.)

The number one answer here should be “chain of custody.” It’s important they understand what that is and what information needs to be included. Look for their knowledge about the state of evidence as it changes hands, especially if it’s being shipped. Any systems or hard drives shipped must be encrypted. When analyzing the forensic image, do they work off that image or create a working copy?

5. Tell me about a time that you got the findings wrong. How did you find out, and what did you learn? What was the outcome?

Yes, I understand this question may not be completely technical in nature, but it is a good gauge of the candidate’s character and how they handle mistakes. It’s perfectly normal to not know everything and to make mistakes—no one is perfect. The important thing is that you learn from your mistakes. You don’t want to hire a “know-it-all” who thinks they’re perfect and refuses to admit errors. This type of individual can harm team morale and likely won’t last long. Look for honesty and a clear explanation of how they discovered their error, what they learned from the experience, and the steps they took to correct it. Their answer can reveal their problem-solving skills, accountability, and capacity for growth.

There you go, fellow interviewers! These questions should be enough to gauge the technical skills of your candidate. Plus, they can easily lead to many follow-up questions. There are plenty more questions you could ask, and the interview shouldn’t consist only of these. If you liked this post and want to see more like it, let us know. Also, feel free to comment below with any questions you typically like to ask during your interviews. Happy hiring!