IDFEInstitute of Digital Forensic Examiners
IDFE-DFFoundationFree course

Digital Assets Foundations

The vendor-neutral base of digital assets: consensus, keys and addresses, wallets and custody, tokens and stablecoins, market structure and regulation.

Modules
7
Lessons
34
Length
About 8 h
Pace
Self-paced
Languages
EN · ES · PT
Free · about 8 hStart course

Before you start

Detailed prerequisites are published with the first lessons.

Recommended pathBEDFDA·CCBA·CFA recommendation, not a rule: every course and exam is open to anyone, in any order.

How to get the most from it

Short, regular sessions work better than one long read.

  1. 1
    Go in order

    Each lesson builds on the one before, and later modules refer back to earlier ones.

  2. 2
    One module per sitting

    A module is about 20 minutes of reading. Add 10 minutes for the checks and your notes.

  3. 3
    Read the Exam focus box first

    It says what the exam expects from that lesson, so you read with a purpose.

  4. 4
    Answer before you look

    Commit to an answer in each knowledge check, then read the explanation, even when you were right.

  5. 5
    Redraw the diagram

    Every lesson has one diagram that sums it up. If you can sketch it from memory, you have the lesson.

  6. 6
    The cases are fictional

    People and companies in the examples are invented, and some of them come back across lessons.

  7. 7
    Sign in and come back

    Your place is kept and finished lessons are marked, so short sessions add up.

Course content

7 modules · 34 lessons · 3 h 32 min of reading. Each module shows the exam domains it prepares for.

01Digital Assets 1015 lessons · 30 minExam domain 01

Prepares for: 01 Blockchain fundamentals (25%)

  1. 1.1What digital assets are (and are not)6 min
  2. 1.2From Bitcoin to tokenization: a short history6 min
  3. 1.3Who’s who in the ecosystem: miners, validators, exchanges and issuers6 min
  4. 1.4Key terms you will use throughout this course6 min
  5. 1.5Finality basics6 min
02How blockchains reach consensus5 lessons · 36 minExam domain 01

Prepares for: 01 Blockchain fundamentals (25%)

  1. 2.1The double-spend problem and distributed ledgers7 min
  2. 2.2Blocks, hashes and the chain7 min
  3. 2.3Proof of work7 min
  4. 2.4Proof of stake7 min
  5. 2.5Finality, forks and reorganizations8 min
03Keys, signatures and addresses5 lessons · 31 minExam domain 02

Prepares for: 02 Cryptography, keys & addresses (20%)

  1. 3.1Hash functions in practice6 min
  2. 3.2Public-key cryptography in plain terms6 min
  3. 3.3Digital signatures and transaction authorization6 min
  4. 3.4From public key to address: formats across networks6 min
  5. 3.5Reading a transaction on a block explorer7 min
04Wallets, seed phrases and custody models5 lessons · 30 minExam domain 03

Prepares for: 03 Wallets & custody (20%)

  1. 4.1What a wallet actually stores6 min
  2. 4.2Seed phrases, BIP-39 and passphrases6 min
  3. 4.3Hot, cold and hardware wallets6 min
  4. 4.4Custodial vs self-custody6 min
  5. 4.5Multisig, MPC and institutional custody6 min
05Tokens, stablecoins and smart contracts5 lessons · 30 minExam domain 04

Prepares for: 04 Tokens, stablecoins & DeFi (20%)

  1. 5.1Coins vs tokens6 min
  2. 5.2Smart contracts and their limits6 min
  3. 5.3Token standards: fungible and non-fungible6 min
  4. 5.4Stablecoins and how they hold the peg6 min
  5. 5.5Tokenized real-world assets6 min
06DeFi, exchanges and market structure4 lessons · 29 minExam domain 04

Prepares for: 04 Tokens, stablecoins & DeFi (20%)

  1. 6.1Centralized exchanges and brokers7 min
  2. 6.2Decentralized exchanges and automated market makers7 min
  3. 6.3Lending, borrowing and liquidations7 min
  4. 6.4Bridges, oracles and where DeFi breaks8 min
07Risk, regulation and professional ethics5 lessons · 26 minExam domain 05

Prepares for: 05 Risk, regulation & ethics (15%)

  1. 7.1Common scams and fraud patterns6 min
  2. 7.2AML/CFT and the Travel Rule5 min
  3. 7.3Sanctions and international regulatory frameworks5 min
  4. 7.4Operational and market risks5 min
  5. 7.5Professional ethics and conflicts of interest5 min

Exam blueprint

The official exam domains and the weights used to draw questions. The modules column shows where the course prepares you for each one.

DomainCourse modulesWeight
01Blockchain fundamentals25%
02Cryptography, keys & addresses20%
03Wallets & custody20%
04Tokens, stablecoins & DeFi20%
05Risk, regulation & ethics15%
Total100%

Who it is for

Newcomers, managers, legal and public-sector staff who need a solid, vendor-neutral base.

Questions

Is the course really free?

Yes. Every lesson is free to read, with or without an account. You only pay if you decide to take the certification exam.

Do I need the course to take the exam?

No. The exam is independent and open to anyone. The course covers every exam domain, with the weights shown under Course content.

Do I get a certificate for finishing the course?

No. Finishing marks the course as complete in your account. The IDFE-DF credential comes only from passing the exam.

Which languages is it in?

English, Spanish and Portuguese. Switch at any time with EN · ES · PT at the top of the page.