Mastering Windows Network Forensics And Investigation

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.

This comprehensive guide provides you with the training you need to arm yourself against phishing, bank fraud, unlawful hacking, and other computer crimes. Two seasoned law enforcement professionals discuss everything from recognizing high-tech criminal activity and collecting evidence to presenting it in a way that judges and juries can understand. They cover the range of skills, standards, and step-by-step procedures you’ll need to conduct a criminal investigation in a Windows environment and make your evidence stand up in court.

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.

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 timely text/reference presents a detailed introduction to the essential aspects of computer network forensics. The book considers not only how to uncover information hidden in email messages, web pages and web servers, but also what this reveals about the functioning of the Internet and its core protocols. This, in turn, enables the identification of shortcomings and highlights where improvements can be made for a more secure network. Topics and features: provides learning objectives in every chapter, and review questions throughout the book to test understanding; introduces the basic concepts of network process models, network forensics frameworks and network forensics tools; discusses various techniques for the acquisition of packets in a network forensics system, network forensics analysis, and attribution in network forensics; examines a range of advanced topics, including botnet, smartphone, and cloud forensics; reviews a number of freely available tools for performing forensic activities.

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.

Network forensics is an evolution of typical digital forensics, in which evidence is gathered from network traffic in near real time. This book will help security and forensics professionals as well as network administrators build a solid foundation of processes and controls to identify incidents and gather evidence from the network. Forensic scientists and investigators are some of the fastest growing jobs in the United States with over 70,000 individuals employed in 2008. Specifically in the area of cybercrime and digital forensics, the federal government is conducting a talent search for 10,000 qualified specialists. Almost every technology company has developed or is developing a cloud computing strategy. To cut costs, many companies are moving toward network-based applications like SalesForce.com, PeopleSoft, and HR Direct. Every day, we are moving companies’ proprietary data into a cloud, which can be hosted anywhere in the world. These companies need to understand how to identify where their data is going and what they are sending. Key network forensics skills and tools are discussed-for example, capturing network traffic, using Snort for network-based forensics, using NetWitness Investigator for network traffic analysis, and deciphering TCP/IP. The current and future states of network forensics analysis tools are addressed. The admissibility of network-based traffic is covered as well as the typical life cycle of a network forensics investigation.

Incident response is critical for the active defense of any network, and incident responders need up-to-date, immediately applicable techniques with which to engage the adversary. Applied Incident Response details effective ways to respond to advanced attacks against local and remote network resources, providing proven response techniques and a framework through which to apply them. As a starting point for new incident handlers, or as a technical reference for hardened IR veterans, this book details the latest techniques for responding to threats against your network, including: Preparing your environment for effective incident response Leveraging MITRE ATT&CK and threat intelligence for active network defense Local and remote triage of systems using PowerShell, WMIC, and open-source tools Acquiring RAM and disk images locally and remotely Analyzing RAM with Volatility and Rekall Deep-dive forensic analysis of system drives using open-source or commercial tools Leveraging Security Onion and Elastic Stack for network security monitoring Techniques for log analysis and aggregating high-value logs Static and dynamic analysis of malware with YARA rules, FLARE VM, and Cuckoo Sandbox Detecting and responding to lateral movement techniques, including pass-the-hash, pass-the-ticket, Kerberoasting, malicious use of PowerShell, and many more Effective threat hunting techniques Adversary emulation with Atomic Red Team Improving preventive and detective controls