Analyzing Gaming Consoles and Underground Player Communities for Clearnet Investigations Training

This course is only open to U.S. state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and judges.

Course Description:

This training identifies the types of data accessible from gaming consoles and how to leverage data extracted from the consoles to obtain attribution and for intelligence purposes. The course also provides information about how to navigate online gaming platforms and forums such as Discord and PC gaming launchers, which can provide player account information, show chats between users, and link them to additional sources of attributable data. Special attention is paid to the ways information from gaming consoles and platforms can be used in criminal investigations.

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Identify the various types of cyber threats present in the gaming industry, both within the games themselves and on clearnet platforms such as Discord.
  • Recognize the major types of gaming consoles and their associated manufacturers, and demonstrate how to navigate through console menus.
  • Review sources of identifiable information available on gaming consoles and platforms that can be used in criminal investigations.

This course is funded by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance.