Reddit reviews Digital Forensics with Open Source Tools

Warren Kruse and Jay Heiser. Computer Forensics: Incident Response Essentials. Addison Wesley, 2001. You can purchase At https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Forensics-Incident-Response-Essentials/dp/0201707195

Carrier, B. File System Forensic Analysis. Addison-Wesley, Reading, PA., Mar. 2005. (Available at https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/file-system-forensic-analysis-1)

Carvey, H. (2014). Windows forensic analysis toolkit: Advanced analysis techniques for Windows 8; Waltham, MA: Syngress. 

Altheide, C., Carvey, H. A., & Davidson, R. (2011). Digital forensics with open source tools. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Syngress. (Available at https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Forensics-Open-Source-Tools/dp/1597495867)

Carvey, H. A. (2005). Windows forensics and incident recovery. Boston: Addison-Wesley. (Available at https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Forensics-Open-Source-Tools/dp/1597495867)

Bunting, S. (2012). EnCase computer forensics: the official EnCE: EnCase certified examiner; study guide. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley. (Available at https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Forensics-Open-Source-Tools/dp/1597495867)

Ligh, M. H., Case, A., Levy, J., & Walters, A. (2014). The Art of Memory Forensics: Detecting Malware and Threats in Windows, Linu. John Wiley & Sons. (Available at https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Forensics-Open-Source-Tools/dp/1597495867)

Casey, E. (2017). Digital evidence and computer crime: forensic science, computers, and the Internet. Vancouver, B.C.: Langara College. Available at https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Evidence-Computer-Crime-Computers/dp/0123742684

I would get a book on how to use open source tools. This is the one that I have myself.
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Forensics-Open-Source-Tools/dp/1597495867

Aside from SANS FOR508 (the course on which the cert is based) the following helped me:

Windows Registry Forensics

Windows Forensic Analysis Toolkit 2nd ed

Windows Forensic Analysis Toolkit 4th ed

The 2nd edition covers XP, the 4th covers 7/8

Digital Forensics with Open Source Tools

File System Forensic Analysis

This is a new book, but I imagine it'll help as well:

The Art of Memory Forensics

I read many of these in preparation for taking mine, but your best resource are the SANS class/books which is what the cert tests after. Having a good index is key.

There may be other classes out there that might help, but I have no firsthand experience with them, so I can't say what I recommend. All the above books, however, are amazing. Very much worth your time and money.

• training. take the vendor's classes, and be prepared to keep up with new releases
  
• more training. join professional societies (e.g. HTCIA) that have chapter meetings or conferences with workshops
  
• network with people. go to the digital forensics conferences and make contacts
  
• tedium. depending on the path you take, you may be completely buried in work that needs fanatical attention (see chain of custody comment) and always 3 years behind
  
• terrible stress. also depends on the path, if you get into cases involving minors, booby-trapped hardware, court testimony
  
  Try these tools and this book.

Few books for you to consider - I got these for my course and are hugely useful. I've also included the Encase book as I know our forensics guys go back to it all the time:

Computer forensics using open source tools

The essential Brian Carrier - file system forensics

Real Digital Forensics

Encase training book

Digital Forensics Investigation

Forensic Discovery

Suggestion for the security section:

Digital Forensics with Open Source Tools