DFIR Career Navigation (CAREERtalk)

Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) Career Navigation with Kaya Overholtzer ‘22, Consulting Associate – Forensic Services at Charles River Associates.

In this session, Kaya will discuss her journey from Champlain College student to DFIR consultant and forensic investigator. Drawing on experiences in device repair, forensic research, and consulting, she will share practical advice on breaking into the field, building technical skills, and navigating the many career paths available within DFIR. She will also discuss the importance of finding your niche, sharing how her interests in mobile devices, the Apple ecosystem, and hardware analysis helped shape her career and specialization.

Key Takeaways:

• Gain an understanding of the many career paths available within digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) and learn how technical interests, practical experience, and professional opportunities can shape a career over time
• Through examples from academia, device repair, forensic research, and consulting, the session will highlight the importance of developing both technical and interpersonal skills
• Learn strategies for identifying and developing a niche within the field, whether in digital forensics, incident response, mobile device analysis, cloud investigations, malware analysis, or other specialized disciplines.

The goal is for students to leave with a clearer understanding of the DFIR landscape and actionable steps they can take to begin building their own careers.

Fulfills CAREERtalk Insight milestone. Must attend the full program to satisfy this requirement.

About the Speaker:
Kaya Overholtzer is a 2022 Champlain College alum and Consulting Associate at Charles River Associates (CRA), where she leads forensic investigations and supports litigation, regulatory, and incident response matters. Her specialty is mobile device forensics, with a particular focus on the Apple ecosystem, Android devices, mobile application analysis, and the reconstruction of deleted or disputed digital evidence. While her experience also includes Windows, macOS, and cloud-based investigations, she is best known for her work involving mobile devices and specialized hardware examinations, including credit card skimmers and compromised ATMs. Before joining CRA, Kaya worked in Apple- and Samsung-certified repair environments, gaining extensive hands-on experience with mobile devices and consumer electronics, and later led mobile device research at Champlain’s Leahy Center for Digital Investigations, where she conducted research on counterfeit devices and mobile security. She has presented nationally on topics related to mobile security and digital forensics.