Fundamentals Of Digital Forensics

This hands-on textbook provides an accessible introduction to the fundamentals of digital forensics. The text contains thorough coverage of the theoretical foundations, explaining what computer forensics is, what it can do, and also what it can’t. A particular focus is presented on establishing sound forensic thinking and methodology, supported by practical guidance on performing typical tasks and using common forensic tools. Emphasis is also placed on universal principles, as opposed to content unique to specific legislation in individual countries. Topics and features: introduces the fundamental concepts in digital forensics, and the steps involved in a forensic examination in a digital environment; discusses the nature of what cybercrime is, and how digital evidence can be of use during criminal investigations into such crimes; offers a practical overview of common practices for cracking encrypted data; reviews key artifacts that have proven to be important in several cases, highlighting where to find these and how to correctly interpret them; presents a survey of various different search techniques, and several forensic tools that are available for free; examines the functions of AccessData Forensic Toolkit and Registry Viewer; proposes methods for analyzing applications, timelining, determining the identity of the computer user, and deducing if the computer was remote controlled; describes the central concepts relating to computer memory management, and how to perform different types of memory analysis using the open source tool Volatility; provides review questions and practice tasks at the end of most chapters, and supporting video lectures on YouTube. This easy-to-follow primer is an essential resource for students of computer forensics, and will also serve as a valuable reference for practitioners seeking instruction on performing forensic examinations in law enforcement or in the private sector.

Because it makes the distribution and transmission of digital information much easier and more cost effective, multimedia has emerged as a top resource in the modern era. In spite of the opportunities that multimedia creates for businesses and companies, information sharing remains vulnerable to cyber attacks and hacking due to the open channels in which this data is being transmitted. Protecting the authenticity and confidentiality of information is a top priority for all professional fields that currently use multimedia practices for distributing digital data. The Handbook of Research on Multimedia Cyber Security provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of current security practices and techniques within multimedia information and assessing modern challenges. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as cryptographic protocols, feature extraction, and chaotic systems, this book is ideally designed for scientists, researchers, developers, security analysts, network administrators, scholars, IT professionals, educators, and students seeking current research on developing strategies in multimedia security.

The Basics of Digital Forensics provides a foundation for people new to the digital forensics field. This book teaches you how to conduct examinations by discussing what digital forensics is, the methodologies used, key tactical concepts, and the tools needed to perform examinations. Details on digital forensics for computers, networks, cell phones, GPS, the cloud and the Internet are discussed. Also, learn how to collect evidence, document the scene, and how deleted data can be recovered. The new Second Edition of this book provides you with completely up-to-date real-world examples and all the key technologies used in digital forensics, as well as new coverage of network intrusion response, how hard drives are organized, and electronic discovery. You'll also learn how to incorporate quality assurance into an investigation, how to prioritize evidence items to examine (triage), case processing, and what goes into making an expert witness. The Second Edition also features expanded resources and references, including online resources that keep you current, sample legal documents, and suggested further reading. Learn what Digital Forensics entails Build a toolkit and prepare an investigative plan Understand the common artifacts to look for in an exam Second Edition features all-new coverage of hard drives, triage, network intrusion response, and electronic discovery; as well as updated case studies, expert interviews, and expanded resources and references

Use this hands-on, introductory guide to understand and implement digital forensics to investigate computer crime using Windows, the most widely used operating system. This book provides you with the necessary skills to identify an intruder's footprints and to gather the necessary digital evidence in a forensically sound manner to prosecute in a court of law. Directed toward users with no experience in the digital forensics field, this book provides guidelines and best practices when conducting investigations as well as teaching you how to use a variety of tools to investigate computer crime. You will be prepared to handle problems such as law violations, industrial espionage, and use of company resources for private use. Digital Forensics Basics is written as a series of tutorials with each task demonstrating how to use a specific computer forensics tool or technique. Practical information is provided and users can read a task and then implement it directly on their devices. Some theoretical information is presented to define terms used in each technique and for users with varying IT skills. What You’ll Learn Assemble computer forensics lab requirements, including workstations, tools, and more Document the digital crime scene, including preparing a sample chain of custody form Differentiate between law enforcement agency and corporate investigationsGather intelligence using OSINT sources Acquire and analyze digital evidence Conduct in-depth forensic analysis of Windows operating systems covering Windows 10–specific feature forensicsUtilize anti-forensic techniques, including steganography, data destruction techniques, encryption, and anonymity techniques Who This Book Is For Police and other law enforcement personnel, judges (with no technical background), corporate and nonprofit management, IT specialists and computer security professionals, incident response team members, IT military and intelligence services officers, system administrators, e-business security professionals, and banking and insurance professionals

- Includes case studies offering insight into famous historical cases and contemporary practicing laboratories. - Represents the first publication to offer a comprehensive introduction to the topic for beginners. - Written by an experienced professional working in the field.

Every computer crime leaves tracks–you just have to know where to find them. This book shows you how to collect and analyze the digital evidence left behind in a digital crime scene. Computers have always been susceptible to unwanted intrusions, but as the sophistication of computer technology increases so does the need to anticipate, and safeguard against, a corresponding rise in computer-related criminal activity. Computer forensics, the newest branch of computer security, focuses on the aftermath of a computer security incident. The goal of computer forensics is to conduct a structured investigation to determine exactly what happened, who was responsible, and to perform the investigation in such a way that the results are useful in a criminal proceeding. Written by two experts in digital investigation, Computer Forensics provides extensive information on how to handle the computer as evidence. Kruse and Heiser walk the reader through the complete forensics process–from the initial collection of evidence through the final report. Topics include an overview of the forensic relevance of encryption, the examination of digital evidence for clues, and the most effective way to present your evidence and conclusions in court. Unique forensic issues associated with both the Unix and the Windows NT/2000 operating systems are thoroughly covered. This book provides a detailed methodology for collecting, preserving, and effectively using evidence by addressing the three A's of computer forensics: Acquire the evidence without altering or damaging the original data. Authenticate that your recorded evidence is the same as the original seized data. Analyze the data without modifying the recovered data. Computer Forensics is written for everyone who is responsible for investigating digital criminal incidents or who may be interested in the techniques that such investigators use. It is equally helpful to those investigating hacked web servers, and those who are investigating the source of illegal pornography.

Learn the skills you need to take advantage of Kali Linux for digital forensics investigations using this comprehensive guide About This Book Master powerful Kali Linux tools for digital investigation and analysis Perform evidence acquisition, preservation, and analysis using various tools within Kali Linux Implement the concept of cryptographic hashing and imaging using Kali Linux Perform memory forensics with Volatility and internet forensics with Xplico. Discover the capabilities of professional forensic tools such as Autopsy and DFF (Digital Forensic Framework) used by law enforcement and military personnel alike Who This Book Is For This book is targeted at forensics and digital investigators, security analysts, or any stakeholder interested in learning digital forensics using Kali Linux. Basic knowledge of Kali Linux will be an advantage. What You Will Learn Get to grips with the fundamentals of digital forensics and explore best practices Understand the workings of file systems, storage, and data fundamentals Discover incident response procedures and best practices Use DC3DD and Guymager for acquisition and preservation techniques Recover deleted data with Foremost and Scalpel Find evidence of accessed programs and malicious programs using Volatility. Perform network and internet capture analysis with Xplico Carry out professional digital forensics investigations using the DFF and Autopsy automated forensic suites In Detail Kali Linux is a Linux-based distribution used mainly for penetration testing and digital forensics. It has a wide range of tools to help in forensics investigations and incident response mechanisms. You will start by understanding the fundamentals of digital forensics and setting up your Kali Linux environment to perform different investigation practices. The book will delve into the realm of operating systems and the various formats for file storage, including secret hiding places unseen by the end user or even the operating system. The book will also teach you to create forensic images of data and maintain integrity using hashing tools. Next, you will also master some advanced topics such as autopsies and acquiring investigation data from the network, operating system memory, and so on. The book introduces you to powerful tools that will take your forensic abilities and investigations to a professional level, catering for all aspects of full digital forensic investigations from hashing to reporting. By the end of this book, you will have had hands-on experience in implementing all the pillars of digital forensics—acquisition, extraction, analysis, and presentation using Kali Linux tools. Style and approach While covering the best practices of digital forensics investigations, evidence acquisition, preservation, and analysis, this book delivers easy-to-follow practical examples and detailed labs for an easy approach to learning forensics. Following the guidelines within each lab, you can easily practice all readily available forensic tools in Kali Linux, within either a dedicated physical or virtual machine.