Hands On Network Forensics

Gain basic skills in network forensics and learn how to apply them effectively Key FeaturesInvestigate network threats with easePractice forensics tasks such as intrusion detection, network analysis, and scanningLearn forensics investigation at the network levelBook Description Network forensics is a subset of digital forensics that deals with network attacks and their investigation. In the era of network attacks and malware threat, it’s now more important than ever to have skills to investigate network attacks and vulnerabilities. Hands-On Network Forensics starts with the core concepts within network forensics, including coding, networking, forensics tools, and methodologies for forensic investigations. You’ll then explore the tools used for network forensics, followed by understanding how to apply those tools to a PCAP file and write the accompanying report. In addition to this, you will understand how statistical flow analysis, network enumeration, tunneling and encryption, and malware detection can be used to investigate your network. Towards the end of this book, you will discover how network correlation works and how to bring all the information from different types of network devices together. By the end of this book, you will have gained hands-on experience of performing forensics analysis tasks. What you will learnDiscover and interpret encrypted trafficLearn about various protocolsUnderstand the malware language over wireGain insights into the most widely used malwareCorrelate data collected from attacksDevelop tools and custom scripts for network forensics automationWho this book is for The book targets incident responders, network engineers, analysts, forensic engineers and network administrators who want to extend their knowledge from the surface to the deep levels of understanding the science behind network protocols, critical indicators in an incident and conducting a forensic search over the wire.

Intensively hands-on training for real-world network forensics Network Forensics provides a uniquely practical guide for IT and law enforcement professionals seeking a deeper understanding of cybersecurity. This book is hands-on all the way—by dissecting packets, you gain fundamental knowledge that only comes from experience. Real packet captures and log files demonstrate network traffic investigation, and the learn-by-doing approach relates the essential skills that traditional forensics investigators may not have. From network packet analysis to host artifacts to log analysis and beyond, this book emphasizes the critical techniques that bring evidence to light. Network forensics is a growing field, and is becoming increasingly central to law enforcement as cybercrime becomes more and more sophisticated. This book provides an unprecedented level of hands-on training to give investigators the skills they need. Investigate packet captures to examine network communications Locate host-based artifacts and analyze network logs Understand intrusion detection systems—and let them do the legwork Have the right architecture and systems in place ahead of an incident Network data is always changing, and is never saved in one place; an investigator must understand how to examine data over time, which involves specialized skills that go above and beyond memory, mobile, or data forensics. Whether you're preparing for a security certification or just seeking deeper training for a law enforcement or IT role, you can only learn so much from concept; to thoroughly understand something, you need to do it. Network Forensics provides intensive hands-on practice with direct translation to real-world application.

“This is a must-have work for anybody in information security, digital forensics, or involved with incident handling. As we move away from traditional disk-based analysis into the interconnectivity of the cloud, Sherri and Jonathan have created a framework and roadmap that will act as a seminal work in this developing field.” – Dr. Craig S. Wright (GSE), Asia Pacific Director at Global Institute for Cyber Security + Research. “It’s like a symphony meeting an encyclopedia meeting a spy novel.” –Michael Ford, Corero Network Security On the Internet, every action leaves a mark–in routers, firewalls, web proxies, and within network traffic itself. When a hacker breaks into a bank, or an insider smuggles secrets to a competitor, evidence of the crime is always left behind. Learn to recognize hackers’ tracks and uncover network-based evidence in Network Forensics: Tracking Hackers through Cyberspace.Carve suspicious email attachments from packet captures. Use flow records to track an intruder as he pivots through the network. Analyze a real-world wireless encryption-cracking attack (and then crack the key yourself). Reconstruct a suspect’s web surfing history–and cached web pages, too–from a web proxy. Uncover DNS-tunneled traffic. Dissect the Operation Aurora exploit, caught on the wire. Throughout the text, step-by-step case studies guide you through the analysis of network-based evidence. You can download the evidence files from the authors’ web site (lmgsecurity.com), and follow along to gain hands-on experience. Hackers leave footprints all across the Internet. Can you find their tracks and solve the case? Pick up Network Forensicsand find out.

Identify and safeguard your network against both internal and external threats, hackers, and malware attacks About This Book Lay your hands on physical and virtual evidence to understand the sort of crime committed by capturing and analyzing network traffic Connect the dots by understanding web proxies, firewalls, and routers to close in on your suspect A hands-on guide to help you solve your case with malware forensic methods and network behaviors Who This Book Is For If you are a network administrator, system administrator, information security, or forensics professional and wish to learn network forensic to track the intrusions through network-based evidence, then this book is for you. Basic knowledge of Linux and networking concepts is expected. What You Will Learn Understand Internetworking, sources of network-based evidence and other basic technical fundamentals, including the tools that will be used throughout the book Acquire evidence using traffic acquisition software and know how to manage and handle the evidence Perform packet analysis by capturing and collecting data, along with content analysis Locate wireless devices, as well as capturing and analyzing wireless traffic data packets Implement protocol analysis and content matching; acquire evidence from NIDS/NIPS Act upon the data and evidence gathered by being able to connect the dots and draw links between various events Apply logging and interfaces, along with analyzing web proxies and understanding encrypted web traffic Use IOCs (Indicators of Compromise) and build real-world forensic solutions, dealing with malware In Detail We live in a highly networked world. Every digital device—phone, tablet, or computer is connected to each other, in one way or another. In this new age of connected networks, there is network crime. Network forensics is the brave new frontier of digital investigation and information security professionals to extend their abilities to catch miscreants on the network. The book starts with an introduction to the world of network forensics and investigations. You will begin by getting an understanding of how to gather both physical and virtual evidence, intercepting and analyzing network data, wireless data packets, investigating intrusions, and so on. You will further explore the technology, tools, and investigating methods using malware forensics, network tunneling, and behaviors. By the end of the book, you will gain a complete understanding of how to successfully close a case. Style and approach An easy-to-follow book filled with real-world case studies and applications. Each topic is explained along with all the practical tools and software needed, allowing the reader to use a completely hands-on approach.

Learn to decode the Cyber Mysteries by Mastering Network Forensics KEY FEATURES ● Master all essential network forensics topics with in-depth coverage. ● Learn from real-world examples and detailed case studies. ● Gain hands-on experience with network forensic tools and techniques. DESCRIPTION Network forensics is a rapidly growing field with a high demand for skilled professionals. This book provides a comprehensive guide on the subject, covering everything from the fundamentals to advanced topics such as malware analysis and cyber attack investigation. Written by a seasoned expert with over 15 years of experience, this hands-on guide includes practical exercises in offensive security, Windows internals, reverse engineering, and cyber forensics. The book begins with the basics of network forensics, including concepts like digital evidence, network traffic analysis, and log analysis. It teaches you how to identify intrusion attempts, mitigate cyber incidents, and investigate complex cyber attacks. As you progress through the book, you will learn more advanced topics such as malware analysis, reverse engineering, and memory forensics. You will also learn how to use network forensics tools and techniques to investigate real-world incidents. This book concludes with a discussion of the career opportunities available in network forensics and teaches you how to find a job in the field and develop your skills. Overall, this book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning about network forensics. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN ● Analyze network traffic using protocols and deep packet analysis techniques. ● Explore the realm of wireless forensics and respond to wireless network incidents. ● Decrypt TLS communication to gain visibility into encrypted data. ● Demystify service and protocol abuse and decode exploit kits through simulations. ● Learn automation techniques to streamline network forensics processes. ● Track down malware and investigate ransomware attacks for mitigation. WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR This book is ideal for network security professionals, cybersecurity analysts, forensic investigators, and incident responders seeking to specialize in network forensics. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Foundations of Network Forensics 2. Protocols and Deep Packet Analysis 3. Flow Analysis versus Packet Analysis 4. Conducting Log Analysis 5. Wireless Forensics 6. TLS Decryption and Visibility 7. Demystifying Covert Channels 8. Analyzing Exploit Kits 9. Automating Network Forensics 10. Backtracking Malware 11. Investigating Ransomware Attacks 12. Investigating Command and Control Systems 13. Investigating Attacks on Email Servers 14. Investigating Web Server Attacks

This textbook provides an introduction to digital forensics, a rapidly evolving field for solving crimes. Beginning with the basic concepts of computer forensics, each of the book’s 21 chapters focuses on a particular forensic topic composed of two parts: background knowledge and hands-on experience through practice exercises. Each theoretical or background section concludes with a series of review questions, which are prepared to test students’ understanding of the materials, while the practice exercises are intended to afford students the opportunity to apply the concepts introduced in the section on background knowledge. This experience-oriented textbook is meant to assist students in gaining a better understanding of digital forensics through hands-on practice in collecting and preserving digital evidence by completing various exercises. With 20 student-directed, inquiry-based practice exercises, students will better understand digital forensic concepts and learn digital forensic investigation techniques. This textbook is intended for upper undergraduate and graduate-level students who are taking digital-forensic related courses or working in digital forensics research. It can also be used by digital forensics practitioners, IT security analysts, and security engineers working in the IT security industry, particular IT professionals responsible for digital investigation and incident handling or researchers working in these related fields as a reference book.

An authoritative guide to investigating high-technologycrimes Internet crime is seemingly ever on the rise, making the needfor a comprehensive resource on how to investigate these crimeseven more dire. This professional-level book--aimed at lawenforcement personnel, prosecutors, and corporateinvestigators--provides you with the training you need in order toacquire the sophisticated skills and software solutions to stay onestep ahead of computer criminals. Specifies the techniques needed to investigate, analyze, anddocument a criminal act on a Windows computer or network Places a special emphasis on how to thoroughly investigatecriminal activity and now just perform the initial response Walks you through ways to present technically complicatedmaterial in simple terms that will hold up in court Features content fully updated for Windows Server 2008 R2 andWindows 7 Covers the emerging field of Windows Mobile forensics Also included is a classroom support package to ensure academicadoption, Mastering Windows Network Forensics and Investigation,2nd Edition offers help for investigating high-technologycrimes.

Intensively hands-on training for real-world network forensics Network Forensics provides a uniquely practical guide for IT and law enforcement professionals seeking a deeper understanding of cybersecurity. This book is hands-on all the way—by dissecting packets, you gain fundamental knowledge that only comes from experience. Real packet captures and log files demonstrate network traffic investigation, and the learn-by-doing approach relates the essential skills that traditional forensics investigators may not have. From network packet analysis to host artifacts to log analysis and beyond, this book emphasizes the critical techniques that bring evidence to light. Network forensics is a growing field, and is becoming increasingly central to law enforcement as cybercrime becomes more and more sophisticated. This book provides an unprecedented level of hands-on training to give investigators the skills they need. Investigate packet captures to examine network communications Locate host-based artifacts and analyze network logs Understand intrusion detection systems—and let them do the legwork Have the right architecture and systems in place ahead of an incident Network data is always changing, and is never saved in one place; an investigator must understand how to examine data over time, which involves specialized skills that go above and beyond memory, mobile, or data forensics. Whether you're preparing for a security certification or just seeking deeper training for a law enforcement or IT role, you can only learn so much from concept; to thoroughly understand something, you need to do it. Network Forensics provides intensive hands-on practice with direct translation to real-world application.