To those who ordered, thank you! I hope that the XWF Practitioner’s Guide/2E will serve you well now and in the future with your X-Ways Forensics work.
Direct link to purchase on Amazon: https://t.co/3t7MZdGXoG
If there is just one thing that you find in the book that helps to resolve a case by finding something that you would not have found otherwise, or find an artifact faster than you would have, or resolve a case that would have taken longer or maybe never been able to close, then the book was worth every written word.
My guess is that the biggest benefit you will have with this guide is that the one thing will be many things and those are the kind of things that will save you frustration and time. Hours saved and errors prevented are worth much more than the cost of a class, a book, or the time spent talking DFIR over coffee.
The XWF Manual
I have nothing against the XWF manual as it does what it does, but it doesn’t show you how to use X-Ways Forensics. That is where the XWF Practitioner’s Guide fills in. I wrote this guide in the manner that I would want to read how to use a complex software application, and how I think other XWF users want to read as well.
I am grateful to everyone who has already bought a copy, and happy to see the social media posts on book deliveries. My apologies for the timeliness (or rather, lack thereof) by Amazon and some delivery carriers in getting the books delivered.
Again, use the book well! Write in it! Highlight it! Dog-ear pages! Put it to good use because when you do, that is an indication of you exploiting X-Ways Forensics to its fullest. Books are created to be used to better your life and/or work, not admired on a shelf.
More XWF Users and Fewer Support Issues
A selfish goal that I have when recommending forensic tools is that if more in the DFIR community use the tools that I use, the better for me because of community acceptance and peer review. I don’t want to use a tool that no one else uses because that makes it a little more difficult to explain in cases as a using a community accepted tool.
There are plenty of XWF users, for sure. But just like I recommend other tools that are already community accepted, I continue to advocate for the best tools. Regarding this book, I would expect more ‘new’ users of XWF, more renewal of licenses that were expired (because too much frustration to learn/use), and fewer support issues (so that X-Ways AG can focus on more features, which is another selfish goal of mine…).
Of course, I say that these are my “selfish” goals, but truly, we all benefit when we can peer review good tools and advocate for their use, development, and improvement for all of our benefit.
Side Note on “Other” Forensic tools
Let not this book nor my advocacy for this book, X-Ways Forensics, or any one tool mean that I am a one-tool examiner. XWF is one tool of many great tools that I use and that I recommend. You will never hear me disparage a good tool, or say that you should only use one tool. You will hear me advocate many great tools, and XWF is just one of them.
Reviews
If you find this guide to be of benefit, an Amazon review would be good to see feedback. And as difficult as it is to read, not-so-good reviews with suggestions are helpful to me as well so that I can do better.
Some of the social media posts
These are all so super cool to see. I’m hoping that I am following every account that posted a picture, or will be following 🙂
I’ll add to this post every time that I see a book picture posted.
The X-Ways Forensics Practitioner's Guide/2E 