Eric Zimmerman is a Senior Director in FTI Consulting’s Cybersecurity practice and is based in New York. Mr. Zimmerman is a world-renowned expert in digital forensics with more than two decades of experience developing forensic tools, leading laboratory operations, and training practitioners across the public and private sectors. He focuses on digital forensics, incident response, threat hunting, and complex criminal and national security investigations.
At FTI Consulting, Mr. Zimmerman leads efforts to maintain the firm’s forensic laboratories globally and oversees training and mentorship programs across a wide variety of digital forensic software platforms. He is the award-winning author of X-Ways Forensics Practitioner’s Guide and has authored more than 50 open-source forensic tools now used by nearly 8,800 law enforcement officers in over 80 countries.
Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Mr. Zimmerman served as Senior Director at Kroll within the cybersecurity and investigations practice, where he led the design and implementation of management software for casework, evidence control, and collection. Before his time in the private sector, he served as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), specializing in criminal and national security computer intrusions, intellectual property theft, and crimes against children. His work in developing investigative tools during his FBI tenure directly contributed to the rescue of hundreds of child victims in a single year, earning him the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Award in May 2012 and the U.S. Attorney’s Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement in 2013. Mr. Zimmerman is also a Certified SANS Instructor for FOR508: Advanced Digital Forensics, Incident Response and Threat Hunting, and is co-author of FOR498: Digital Acquisition and Rapid Triage. He is a two-time winner of the SANS DFIR NetWars Tournament (2014, 2015).
Mr. Zimmerman holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Roosevelt University in Chicago and holds numerous additional industry certifications.