Practical Digital Forensics

Get started with the art and science of digital forensics with this practical, hands-on guide! About This Book Champion the skills of digital forensics by understanding the nature of recovering and preserving digital information which is essential for legal or disciplinary proceedings Explore new and promising forensic processes and tools based on 'disruptive technology' to regain control of caseloads. Richard Boddington, with 10+ years of digital forensics, demonstrates real life scenarios with a pragmatic approach Who This Book Is For This book is for anyone who wants to get into the field of digital forensics. Prior knowledge of programming languages (any) will be of great help, but not a compulsory prerequisite. What You Will Learn Gain familiarity with a range of different digital devices and operating and application systems that store digital evidence. Appreciate and understand the function and capability of forensic processes and tools to locate and recover digital evidence. Develop an understanding of the critical importance of recovering digital evidence in pristine condition and ensuring its safe handling from seizure to tendering it in evidence in court. Recognise the attributes of digital evidence and where it may be hidden and is often located on a range of digital devices. Understand the importance and challenge of digital evidence analysis and how it can assist investigations and court cases. Explore emerging technologies and processes that empower forensic practitioners and other stakeholders to harness digital evidence more effectively. In Detail Digital Forensics is a methodology which includes using various tools, techniques, and programming language. This book will get you started with digital forensics and then follow on to preparing investigation plan and preparing toolkit for investigation. In this book you will explore new and promising forensic processes and tools based on 'disruptive technology' that offer experienced and budding practitioners the means to regain control of their caseloads. During the course of the book, you will get to know about the technical side of digital forensics and various tools that are needed to perform digital forensics. This book will begin with giving a quick insight into the nature of digital evidence, where it is located and how it can be recovered and forensically examined to assist investigators. This book will take you through a series of chapters that look at the nature and circumstances of digital forensic examinations and explains the processes of evidence recovery and preservation from a range of digital devices, including mobile phones, and other media. This book has a range of case studies and simulations will allow you to apply the knowledge of the theory gained to real-life situations. By the end of this book you will have gained a sound insight into digital forensics and its key components. Style and approach The book takes the reader through a series of chapters that look at the nature and circumstances of digital forensic examinations and explains the processes of evidence recovery and preservation from a range of digital devices, including mobile phones, and other media. The mystery of digital forensics is swept aside and the reader will gain a quick insight into the nature of digital evidence, where it is located and how it can be recovered and forensically examined to assist investigators.

Get started with the art and science of digital forensics with this practical, hands-on guide!About This Book*Champion the skills of digital forensics by understanding the nature of recovering and preserving digital information which is essential for legal or disciplinary proceedings*Explore new and promising forensic processes and tools based on 'disruptive technology' to regain control of caseloads.*Richard Boddington, with 10+ years of digital forensics, demonstrates real life scenarios with a pragmatic approachWho This Book Is ForThis book is for anyone who wants to get into the field of digital forensics. Prior knowledge of programming languages (any) will be of great help, but not a compulsory prerequisite.What You Will Learn*Gain familiarity with a range of different digital devices and operating and application systems that store digital evidence.*Appreciate and understand the function and capability of forensic processes and tools to locate and recover digital evidence.*Develop an understanding of the critical importance of recovering digital evidence in pristine condition and ensuring its safe handling from seizure to tendering it in evidence in court.*Recognise the attributes of digital evidence and where it may be hidden and is often located on a range of digital devices.*Understand the importance and challenge of digital evidence analysis and how it can assist investigations and court cases.*Explore emerging technologies and processes that empower forensic practitioners and other stakeholders to harness digital evidence more effectively.In DetailDigital Forensics is a methodology which includes using various tools, techniques, and programming language. This book will get you started with digital forensics and then follow on to preparing investigation plan and preparing toolkit for investigation.In this book you will explore new and promising forensic processes and tools based on 'disruptive technology' that offer experienced and budding practitioners the means to regain control of their caseloads. During the course of the book, you will get to know about the technical side of digital forensics and various tools that are needed to perform digital forensics. This book will begin with giving a quick insight into the nature of digital evidence, where it is located and how it can be recovered and forensically examined to assist investigators. This book will take you through a series of chapters that look at the nature and circumstances of digital forensic examinations and explains the processes of evidence recovery and preservation from a range of digital devices, including mobile phones, and other media. This book has a range of case studies and simulations will allow you to apply the knowledge of the theory gained to real-life situations.By the end of this book you will have gained a sound insight into digital forensics and its key components.

Become an effective cyber forensics investigator and gain a collection of practical, efficient techniques to get the job done. Diving straight into a discussion of anti-forensic techniques, this book shows you the many ways to effectively detect them. Now that you know what you are looking for, you’ll shift your focus to network forensics, where you cover the various tools available to make your network forensics process less complicated. Following this, you will work with cloud and mobile forensic techniques by considering the concept of forensics as a service (FaSS), giving you cutting-edge skills that will future-proof your career. Building on this, you will learn the process of breaking down malware attacks, web attacks, and email scams with case studies to give you a clearer view of the techniques to be followed. Another tricky technique is SSD forensics, so the author covers this in detail to give you the alternative analysis techniques you’ll need. To keep you up to speed on contemporary forensics, Practical Cyber Forensics includes a chapter on Bitcoin forensics, where key crypto-currency forensic techniques will be shared. Finally, you will see how to prepare accurate investigative reports. What You Will LearnCarry out forensic investigation on Windows, Linux, and macOS systems Detect and counter anti-forensic techniques Deploy network, cloud, and mobile forensics Investigate web and malware attacks Write efficient investigative reports Who This Book Is For Intermediate infosec professionals looking for a practical approach to investigative cyber forensics techniques.

Investigative computer forensics is playing an increasingly important role in the resolution of challenges, disputes, and conflicts of every kind and in every corner of the world. Yet, for many, there is still great apprehension when contemplating leveraging these emerging technologies, preventing them from making the most of investigative computer forensics and its extraordinary potential to dissect everything from common crime to sophisticated corporate fraud. Empowering you to make tough and informed decisions during an internal investigation, electronic discovery exercise, or while engaging the capabilities of a computer forensic professional, Investigative Computer Forensics explains the investigative computer forensic process in layman’s terms that users of these services can easily digest. Computer forensic/e-discovery expert and cybercrime investigator Erik Laykin provides readers with a cross section of information gleaned from his broad experience, covering diverse areas of knowledge and proficiency from the basics of preserving and collecting evidence through to an examination of some of the future shaping trends that these technologies are having on society. Investigative Computer Forensics takes you step by step through: Issues that are present-day drivers behind the converging worlds of business, technology, law, and fraud Computers and networks—a primer on how they work and what they are Computer forensic basics, including chain of custody and evidence handling Investigative issues to know about before hiring a forensic investigator Managing forensics in electronic discovery How cyber-firefighters defend against cybercrime and other malicious online activity Emerging standards of care in the handling of electronic evidence Trends and issues affecting the future of the information revolution and society as a whole Thoroughly researched and practical, Investigative Computer Forensics helps you—whether attorney, judge, businessperson, or accountant—prepare for the forensic computer investigative process, with a plain-English look at the complex terms, issues, and risks associated with managing electronic data in investigations and discovery.

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

Handbook of Digital Forensics and Investigation builds on the success of the Handbook of Computer Crime Investigation, bringing together renowned experts in all areas of digital forensics and investigation to provide the consummate resource for practitioners in the field. It is also designed as an accompanying text to Digital Evidence and Computer Crime. This unique collection details how to conduct digital investigations in both criminal and civil contexts, and how to locate and utilize digital evidence on computers, networks, and embedded systems. Specifically, the Investigative Methodology section of the Handbook provides expert guidance in the three main areas of practice: Forensic Analysis, Electronic Discovery, and Intrusion Investigation. The Technology section is extended and updated to reflect the state of the art in each area of specialization. The main areas of focus in the Technology section are forensic analysis of Windows, Unix, Macintosh, and embedded systems (including cellular telephones and other mobile devices), and investigations involving networks (including enterprise environments and mobile telecommunications technology). This handbook is an essential technical reference and on-the-job guide that IT professionals, forensic practitioners, law enforcement, and attorneys will rely on when confronted with computer related crime and digital evidence of any kind. *Provides methodologies proven in practice for conducting digital investigations of all kinds *Demonstrates how to locate and interpret a wide variety of digital evidence, and how it can be useful in investigations *Presents tools in the context of the investigative process, including EnCase, FTK, ProDiscover, foremost, XACT, Network Miner, Splunk, flow-tools, and many other specialized utilities and analysis platforms *Case examples in every chapter give readers a practical understanding of the technical, logistical, and legal challenges that arise in real investigations

Forensic image acquisition is an important part of postmortem incident response and evidence collection. Digital forensic investigators acquire, preserve, and manage digital evidence to support civil and criminal cases; examine organizational policy violations; resolve disputes; and analyze cyber attacks. Practical Forensic Imaging takes a detailed look at how to secure and manage digital evidence using Linux-based command line tools. This essential guide walks you through the entire forensic acquisition process and covers a wide range of practical scenarios and situations related to the imaging of storage media. You’ll learn how to: –Perform forensic imaging of magnetic hard disks, SSDs and flash drives, optical discs, magnetic tapes, and legacy technologies –Protect attached evidence media from accidental modification –Manage large forensic image files, storage capacity, image format conversion, compression, splitting, duplication, secure transfer and storage, and secure disposal –Preserve and verify evidence integrity with cryptographic and piecewise hashing, public key signatures, and RFC-3161 timestamping –Work with newer drive and interface technologies like NVME, SATA Express, 4K-native sector drives, SSHDs, SAS, UASP/USB3x, and Thunderbolt –Manage drive security such as ATA passwords; encrypted thumb drives; Opal self-encrypting drives; OS-encrypted drives using BitLocker, FileVault, and TrueCrypt; and others –Acquire usable images from more complex or challenging situations such as RAID systems, virtual machine images, and damaged media With its unique focus on digital forensic acquisition and evidence preservation, Practical Forensic Imaging is a valuable resource for experienced digital forensic investigators wanting to advance their Linux skills and experienced Linux administrators wanting to learn digital forensics. This is a must-have reference for every digital forensics lab.

A resource to help forensic investigators locate, analyze, and understand digital evidence found on modern Linux systems after a crime, security incident or cyber attack. Practical Linux Forensics dives into the technical details of analyzing postmortem forensic images of Linux systems which have been misused, abused, or the target of malicious attacks. It helps forensic investigators locate and analyze digital evidence found on Linux desktops, servers, and IoT devices. Throughout the book, you learn how to identify digital artifacts which may be of interest to an investigation, draw logical conclusions, and reconstruct past activity from incidents. You’ll learn how Linux works from a digital forensics and investigation perspective, and how to interpret evidence from Linux environments. The techniques shown are intended to be independent of the forensic analysis platforms and tools used. Learn how to: Extract evidence from storage devices and analyze partition tables, volume managers, popular Linux filesystems (Ext4, Btrfs, and Xfs), and encryption Investigate evidence from Linux logs, including traditional syslog, the systemd journal, kernel and audit logs, and logs from daemons and applications Reconstruct the Linux startup process, from boot loaders (UEFI and Grub) and kernel initialization, to systemd unit files and targets leading up to a graphical login Perform analysis of power, temperature, and the physical environment of a Linux machine, and find evidence of sleep, hibernation, shutdowns, reboots, and crashes Examine installed software, including distro installers, package formats, and package management systems from Debian, Fedora, SUSE, Arch, and other distros Perform analysis of time and Locale settings, internationalization including language and keyboard settings, and geolocation on a Linux system Reconstruct user login sessions (shell, X11 and Wayland), desktops (Gnome, KDE, and others) and analyze keyrings, wallets, trash cans, clipboards, thumbnails, recent files and other desktop artifacts Analyze network configuration, including interfaces, addresses, network managers, DNS, wireless artifacts (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WWAN), VPNs (including WireGuard), firewalls, and proxy settings Identify traces of attached peripheral devices (PCI, USB, Thunderbolt, Bluetooth) including external storage, cameras, and mobiles, and reconstruct printing and scanning activity