Digital Forensic Survival Podcast

Understanding how to search for executables is a critical skill in computer forensics. There are major differences in how executables are handled between Windows and Linux systems, so techniques that work on Windows won’t always translate effectively to Linux. In this episode, I’ll break down some triage techniques to help you quickly identify suspicious executables on Linux systems.

Welcome to today’s episode! We’re diving into network triage, focusing specifically on listening ports. While we often look for active connections, identifying suspicious services listening on a port can be equally crucial in your investigation. It’s essential to gather this information for both current, real-time data and historical analysis, providing a more complete view of network activity.

In this episode, we’ll dive into two essential forensic artifacts in Windows: shellbags and the Program Compatibility Assistant (PCA). Shell bags provide valuable evidence of file and folder access, offering insights into user activity and file navigation. We’ll also explore PCA, which can reveal important information about file execution history. Together, these artifacts play a crucial role in uncovering key forensic details during investigations.

The Linux subsystem for Windows, create both opportunity and challenges for forensic analysts. It makes Windows an excellent platform for multi platform forensic analysis tasks, allowing it to take advantage of the many Linux tools available. The challenges are foreseeable, you have Linux artifacts, now commingled on a Windows platform, which makes forensic analysis that much more difficult when examining such a system as evidence. This week I'm going to break down the Linux subsystems for forensic investigators

In this episode, we’ll explore the fundamentals of network triage, focusing on the key aspects of network traffic that are central to many investigations. Additionally, we’ll discuss some of the essential tools you can use to analyze and manage network data effectively.

Today, we’re going to explore how to handle a critical security event: Unauthorized Modification of Information. This type of event occurs when a user alters information in a system—whether it’s an application, database, website, server, or configuration files—without prior authorization. These modifications can range from impersonation and unauthorized system updates to more sophisticated techniques such as SQL injections, privilege escalations, and configuration file tampering.

This week I talk about the attack methods being used to bypass MFA. We'll learn about real-world cases where MFA was circumvented, and discover best practices to strengthen defenses against these types of attacks...

In today’s episode, we’ll focus on startup folders, which are perhaps the easiest to triage among all persistence mechanisms. But before diving in, let’s recap the journey so far to underscore the importance of a comprehensive approach rather than a one-off tactic. Each triage area we've covered plays a crucial role in identifying and stopping attacks...

In 2024, AI has not only revolutionized how we defend against cyber threats but also how those threats are being carried out. We'll explore how AI is enabling faster, more efficient security incident responses, with real-world examples of its application in automated threat detection and response, advanced forensics, and more. But with every technological leap forward, there's a dark side and attackers are harnessing AI to orchestrate sophisticated attacks...

SQL injection poses significant risks by enabling attackers to access sensitive metadata, execute dynamic SQL commands, and alter system parameters. These actions can lead to unauthorized data access and system disruptions, especially if attackers gain elevated privileges. This week I'm talking about SQL attack patterns from a triage point of view to help you detect such activity when doing log analysis...

I decided to talk this week about the Importance of Secure Coding Knowledge for Security Incident Response Investigations. Knowing secure coding principles helps identify the root causes of vulnerabilities and recognize attack patterns. It facilitates effective communication and collaboration with developers, ensuring accurate incident reports and actionable recommendations. Secure coding knowledge enhances forensic analysis by aiding in code reviews and log analysis to detect anomalies. It also allows responders to suggest mitigation strategies and improve the security posture of applications. Ultimately, this knowledge leads...

This week, we're covering zero-day vulnerability response from a Digital Forensics and Incident Response professional's perspective. In our roles, we often get involved in various tasks that require a security mindset, and one critical task is responding to zero-day vulnerabilities. To provide a real-world context, we'll integrate the recently disclosed zero-day exploit "Copy2Pwn" (CVE-2024-38213) and discuss the specific forensic artifacts and methods used to achieve the objectives of a DFIR response.

Welcome to this week’s session, where we’ll delve into web shell forensics—an ever-critical topic in incident response investigations and threat-hunting strategies. Today, I’ll provide a breakdown that includes the latest developments, detailed triage techniques, and practical examples of what to look for during your investigations:

Rootkits are hard to detect because they employ advanced stealth techniques to hide their presence. They can conceal processes, files, and network activities by altering system calls and kernel data structures. The deep system knowledge and specialized tools required for low-level analysis make rootkit detection complex and resource-intensive. Limited visibility of standard security tools further complicates the identification of rootkits. However, This week I'm going to talk about how to identify root kits on a Linux systems using only the command line.

In previous episodes, we covered techniques for examining the Windows Registry, a critical component in identifying persistence mechanisms. We'll explore the registry but shift our focus to registry modification events as reported by Windows event logs

Bash history's forensic value lies in its ability to answer diverse investigative questions, making it a cornerstone artifact for Linux systems. It aids in triaging lateral movement, identifying reconnaissance activities, and detecting attempts at establishing persistence. This underscores the importance of structuring triage tasks around specific investigative questions, facilitating focused analysis amidst potentially extensive Bash history records...

The UserAssist key is a Windows Registry artifact that logs details about user activity, such as recently accessed programs and files. It encodes information on the frequency and last access time of items launched via Windows Explorer. This helps investigators understand user behavior and timeline of actions on a system, providing evidence of program execution and file access...

Every incident response outfit should have a set of guidelines for their team which outlines the standard actions or common considerations for security investigations. In this episode, I highlight some of the key points for security teams with a special focus on initial actions which typically set the tone for success during the subsequent investigation.

Understanding the different types of databases is important for security incident response investigations, as databases are often targeted by attackers seeking sensitive information. Each database type—relational, NoSQL, in-memory, and cloud-based—has unique structures, query languages, and security mechanisms. Familiarity with these variations enables investigators to effectively... 

CIS (Center for Internet Security) Benchmarks provide a comprehensive set of best practices for securing IT systems and data, which are vital for security response investigations. These benchmarks, developed through a consensus-driven process by cybersecurity experts, offer detailed guidelines for configuring operating systems, applications, and network devices to enhance their security posture. In the context of security response investigations, adhering to CIS Benchmarks helps ensure that systems are resilient against common threats and vulnerabilities. By implementing these benchmarks, organizations can better detect, respond to, and recover from security incidents, thereby minimizing potential damage and improving overall cybersecurity hygiene.

Business Email Compromise (BEC) forensics involves the meticulous investigation of cyberattacks where attackers infiltrate email systems to manipulate business communications for financial gain. These attacks often entail phishing, social engineering, and credential theft to impersonate trusted entities within or outside an organization. Forensic analysis of BEC incidents focuses on tracing the attacker's entry point, examining email headers, metadata, and logs to uncover the methods used for unauthorized access. It also involves identifying compromised accounts, understanding the scope of the attack, and preserving evidence for legal proceedings. Effective BEC forensics is crucial for mitigating financial losses, strengthening cybersecurity defenses, and preventing future incidents.

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a crucial artifact in digital forensics due to its extensive use for remote system access. Analyzing RDP activities can uncover vital information about unauthorized access, insider threats, and attacker lateral movement within a network. Forensic examination of RDP logs enables investigators to trace an attacker's steps, identify compromised accounts, and assess the breach's extent. For instance, RDP forensics can detect brute force attacks on login credentials, track the use of stolen credentials, and monitor suspicious reconnection attempts to previously established sessions.

This week, I will be discussing the Linux operating system from a DFIR perspective. It is highly recommended for every examiner to become proficient in Linux, especially with the increasing prevalence of cloud-based infrastructures in enterprise environments. As these platforms become the norm, you can expect to encounter Linux systems frequently during your investigations.

In Windows forensics, understanding the intricacies of autorun functionalities and the Windows Registry is essential for effective incident response and investigation. Autorun mechanisms, which allow programs to execute automatically when the system starts or specific actions are performed, can be exploited by malicious actors to persist on a system. The Windows Registry, a hierarchical database that stores low-level settings for the operating system and applications, plays a crucial role in tracking these autorun entries. Forensic analysis of the Windows Registry can reveal information about auto-starting applications, system configurations, and user activities, providing insights into potential security breaches and unauthorized changes.

The JOHARI methodology simply provides a structure for something that you're probably already doing. However, with the structure comes a standard, which is the benefit to any security team. The team should be speaking the same language, especially in fast moving, dynamic situations. Going into a situation and asking for the "known – knowns” and “Blindspots" should register with every team member without any question about their definitions...

Threat actors often exploit PowerShell in cyber attacks due to its capabilities and integration with Windows operating systems. Microsoft has cited powershell as one of the most commonly used tools in the attack chain. It also comes up in phishing campaigns and other attacks that include infecting URL links. The challenge lies in the fact that it is a commonly used administration tool. As an analyst, you can expect to have lots of powershell scripts and commands come up during your investigations. Your job is to be able to differentiate between the good and bad. Fortunately, this episode is going to give you some tips and tricks on how to do exactly that...

The Windows registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as for applications running on the platform. In order to make use of any of this information, you must understand the registry from a DFIR point of view, and that's exactly what I'm doing in this episode...

On a Linux or Mac system, there can be user accounts that have the ability of privilege escalation. Knowing how to triage, for this has a twofold benefit: (1) you obviously want to know which account may elevate to route privileges. If you're doing account triage, these are the ones you should prioritize. The other benefit (2) is to identify any account that can escalate. This fact alone ...

TCP control bits are part of the TCP header and are used to manage the connection between two devices. These control bits are single-bit flags that indicate various aspects of the TCP connection and are important for understanding and analyzing network traffic...

The time it takes from an initial escalation to the initial discovery of compromise is a key metric. Teams strive to do this as quickly as possible, but there are a number of challenges. You do not know what you're going to be handed, but you're pretty much guaranteed It's going to be a unique set of circumstances that require some type of customized or mostly customized response. So how do you accomplish this? Most analyst rely on a set of tried and true various techniques that can be used at scale. This week I'm going to cover a few of them, each being a critical technique you should be familiar with for forensic investigations...

Windows Scheduled Tasks are often used by attackers to establish persistence. As an analyst, you want to be aware of the different windows event codes that record these details. These artifacts come up in just about every windows compromise assessment, consider them core triage skills. There are several events, all of which I will go over in this episode. I will break them down from a DFIR point of view and give you the triage methodology...

This week I talk about career moves for the DFIR professional. The skill set is valuable, but it must be combined with the right additional technical skills to maximize future job opportunities. Of course, there is one skill set that stands out above the rest...

When you're triaging a Windows system for evidence of compromise, it's ideal if your plan is focused on some quick wins upfront. There are certain artifacts that offer this opportunity, and Windows Events for New Scheduled Tasks are one of them. Sometimes overlooked, at least in part, because the good stuff contained within the XML portion of the log. This week I'm covering the artifact from a DFIR point of view, I'll go over all the elements of the log entry that are of interest for investigations, and I'll provide a triage methodology that you can employ to find evidence quickly.

Windows management instrumentation, also known as WMI, is an App on Windows that allows a user to query all sorts of things about a system. Being native to Windows, it is an attractive target for a attackers to leverage. This week I'll break down the artifact from a DFIR point of a few and talk about how to detect its misuse.

This week I'm wrapping up my series on SSH forensics with a discussion on SSH log triage. Logs are usually what an analyst will start with, so this episode is important. There are a few different log types, and there is a pitfall with one of them, which is something you must be aware of to avoid making inaccurate conclusions. I'll provide the artifact breakdown, triage methodology, and more.

In the last episode on this topic, I covered SSH from a investigation point of view. I explained SSH and the artifacts that typically come up when your investigating. In this episode, we're getting into the triage methodology. This includes the artifacts targeted for a fast, but yet effective triage for notable SSH activity on a given host.

SSH is a protocol used to secure remote access to systems, making it a cornerstone in safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring secure communications. In this podcast, we will delve into the basics of SSH, its key concepts and other useful elements important for context when investigating for notable SSH activity.

This week I'm discussing a fundamental aspect of cybersecurity: incident response preparation. Effective incident response is paramount, and preparation is the key to success. This preparation includes comprehensive documentation, training, having the right tools and resources in place, and developing incident response plans and playbooks. It also involves ensuring clear communication protocols and conducting regular training and testing. 

I'll explore preparation from the perspective of the investigation life cycle, where success is the reward for preparation. Join me as I uncover the importance of preparation in incident response and how it lays the foundation for success in investigations.

Today I'm talking Windows forensics, focusing on Windows event logs. These logs are very valuable for fast triage, often readily available in your organization's SIEM. But have you ever wondered about the processes enabling this quick access? Not only are the logs automatically collected and fed into the appliance, but they are also formatted and normalized for easy data searchability. This is crucial, as the logs are originally in a complex format challenging to natively interpret. Now, picture a scenario where event logs are inaccessible through a security appliance—enter this week's topic: EVTX analysis options. Don't be caught unprepared.

In this podcast episode, we talk about Linux's `memfd` – a virtual file system allowing the creation of anonymous memory areas for shared memory or temporary data storage. Threat actors exploit `memfd` for fileless malware attacks, as its memory areas exist only in RAM, evading traditional file-based detection methods. Join me as I `memfd` as a forensic artifact, its implications in DFIR, and strategies for detecting its abuse.

This week we explore into the world of Windows service event codes and their role in forensic investigations. Windows services are background processes crucial for system functionality, running independently of user interaction- making them ideal. Target were exploitation. Join me to explore the intricate details of Windows services and their significance in digital forensics.

This week, we're delving into the realm of fast flux, a cunning technique employed by attackers to cloak their true, malicious domains. Its effectiveness is the reason behind its widespread use, making it crucial for analysts to grasp its nuances and avoid chasing elusive ghosts during investigations. Stay tuned as I unravel the intricacies of fast flux, providing insights into what it entails and offering valuable tips on how to effectively detect it. All this and more coming your way!

In this week's exploration, I'm delving into the intricate realm of the Master File Table (MFT), a pivotal forensic artifact in Windows investigations. The MFT provides a valuable gateway to decode evidence across various scenarios. Join me in this episode as we unravel the forensic basics, explore diverse use cases, and discover a range of tools that empower you to unlock the full potential of this invaluable artifact.

This week I delve into the intriguing domain of Linux malware triage. The Linux platform presents forensic analysts with a unique opportunity to excel in performing malware triage effortlessly. The beauty of it lies in the fact that you don't require any specialized tools; all you need is a solid grasp of a few commands and the ability to decipher their output. With these skills in your arsenal, any analyst can swiftly and efficiently navigate through the process of malware triage. Stay tuned for more insights on this in the upcoming discussion!

This week I’m going to talk about New Service Installation details recorded in Windows event logs. These have a number of advantages for your triage methodology and I will have all the details coming up. 

Organizations leverage third-party services more and more for business advantages. For the security professional, this means the organizational data you're charged with protecting is under the control of a third-party in some way shape or form. In this episode, I cover third-party risk landscape for security professionals with a special focus on identifying scope and responsibility.

Cron become important and Linux forensics when you’re talking about persistence. Think scheduled tasks if you want a Windows equivalent. The artifact is not that difficult to analyze once you understand the elements to focus on and it is typically readily available. It’s something that you can check out a live system, gather with a collection script, and more and more security appliances are designed to access the artifact as well. I’ll...

Ransomware cases can be particularly challenging, especially during the initial response. They tend to be fast-paced and require the responder to simultaneously prioritize a number of tasks. Each of these tasks can have critical impact upon the outcome of the response and subsequent investigation. In this episode I am going to cover some immediate response actions. The goal here is to provide a framework that will allow responders to get off on the right foot…

Conhost, or the Console Application Host, often comes up during investigations. Understanding what it is, the evidence may contain and how to extract that information becomes important...

This week I'm talking about detecting evidence of lateral movement on Window systems using NTLM credential validation events. Much like the episode I did on Kerberos, NTLM events offer the same advantage of being concentrated on domain controllers, which allows you, as the analyst, leverage a great resource for user account analysis. I will have the background, artifact breakdown, and triage strategy coming up right after this…..

Temporary directories play a significant role in computer forensic investigations as they can potentially contain valuable digital evidence. When conducting a computer forensic investigation, these temporary directories can provide insights into user activities, application usage, and potentially malicious behavior...

This week I’m talking about Regsvcs /Regasm exploitation, which is a Windows tactic attackers use to evade defense mechanisms and execute code. Specifically, this technique can be used to bypass process whitelisting and digital certificate validation. I'll break down some interpretation methods that may be used to identify such exploitation....

This week I’m talking about Nested Groups and the risk they pose for security. Built-in to the functionality of Active Directory is the ability to attach a group to another group. While this has advantages for account administration across an organization, it also offers attackers opportunity if certain precautions are not taken. This week I’ll break down Nested Groups in DFIR terms, talk about how attackers take advantage of it and what analysts need to know for investigations.

This week it's more about lateral movement and kerberos events.

In a typical Linux "bin" directory, you can find various types of executable files and scripts that are used to perform different tasks. The confusing part is that there are a number of different BIN directories throughout the file system. What is the purpose and difference between these BIN directories? What do you need to know about them for forensic investigations? The answers to those questions and more are coming up...

Werfault is in interesting artifact in that there is not a lot of documentation on it but yet it may affect an investigation in different ways.  Its appearance in logs sometimes adds a bit of confusion to an investigation because it could mean different things. Add to that a layer of apparent obscurity as to exactly how to interpret the information makes it even more difficult for newer examiners. I took on the question...

Certutil, a powerful command-line utility, possesses the potential for misuse by malicious actors to establish illicit network connections. Therefore, it is crucial to familiarize oneself with its legitimate applications and recognize common indicators of misuse. In this episode, we will delve into the utility of Certutil and identify effective methods to promptly detect and address potential abuses. Stay tuned as we explore these topics in depth...

This week I'm going to cover an important Windows event that provides valuable information about authentication attempts and potential security breaches. The event may be used to identify compromised accounts, identify brute, force, attacks, or password spraying attacks. It may also be used to detect attack or probing activities. The artifact breakdown and triage methodology is coming up….

In Linux and Unix-based operating systems, the "root" account is the superuser or administrator account with the highest level of privileges. It has complete control over the system and can perform any action, including modifying system files, installing software, and managing user accounts. The root account is sometimes referred to as the "root user" or simply “root"....

This week we are taking a bit of a deep dive into an advanced attack technique to accomplish remote execution called “fetch and execute.” While there are different methods to accomplish the sort of thing what I am going to be focusing on is exploitation using a common Windows executable and installation file. Think of this as one of the touted “living off the land” attack techniques. It has value for compromise assessment methods as well as for threat hunting strategies...

This week I am going to focus on a specific remote execution technique that you may see in the wild. Remote execution is important for incident response investigations but also for file use and knowledge investigations, particularly those that conducted due diligence exams for evidence of malware. I have covered remote execution in the past from different angles and I have done so because it is one of the red flags that an analyst should be looking for. In order to be effective in recognizing either an actual malicious execution or the risk of an attempted remote execution you must be reversed in the clever ways attackers attempt to compromise a host using Microsoft applications. The highlight this week will be CMSTP.exe abuse...

Finding and analyzing failed logons sometimes is just as important as finding suspicious, actual logon activity. Like anything, context is important. Old logon records offer an opportunity to identify not only suspicious activity, but perhaps attempted activity by an attacker. A standard move in the attack chain is to compromise an account and use it to move within the breached environment. However, it doesn't always work as planned for the attacker, and you may find failed activity a valid signal for identifying, malicious actions. This episode, I'm going to take a look at failed logon events from an investigation point of you.

This week I will discuss the use of the OODA loop and JOHARI window in security incident response investigations. These two frameworks are designed to help organizations quickly and effectively respond to security incidents, and can be used in combination to enhance incident response capabilities....

This week I'm talking about the linux file system from the point of view of a forensic analyst. In general, it's a good idea to have a solid working knowledge of the linux file system so you understand what directories hold what artifacts… Or if you're looking for a specific category of artifact, you at least have an idea of where you may find it. I will cover the home directory this week and breakdown the typical forensic artifacts you find there……

This week I will talk about investigating data spill cases involving exposed URLs. This is a typical privacy investigation many incident response teams handle and I thought it would be useful to go over some standard guidelines for handling such cases. To be effective with these investigations you need to know how to determine liability and responsibility, a little Google foo, and a number of odds and ends concerning mitigation, containment and remediation strategies....

This week is on lateral movement detection techniques. Inspecting Domain Admin account logons is a key component to lateral movement triage. Admin accounts are sought after by attackers for their elevated privileges. Evidence is often left behind both on the targeted system and on the domain controller. Both these factors provide protection opportunity through Windows event log analysis. I’ll break down the method....

This week I want to talk about the value of having functional documentation for your organization, or, at least for your team. Functional documentation means you have thoughtful and up-to-date incident run books, and play books that provide utility and usefulness for a responder. Without such documentation, you are always in danger of some dangerous pitfalls, some of which I'll discuss. This episode I cover what functional documentation is, it's investigative value for an organization, how to get started...

The linux subsystem for windows, create both opportunity and challenges for forensic analysts. It makes Windows an excellent platform for multi platform forensic analysis tasks, allowing it to take it vantage of the many many Linux tools available. The challenges are foreseeable, you have Linux artifacts, now commingled on a Windows platform, which makes forensic analysis that much more difficult when examining such a system as evidence. This week I'm going to break down the linux subsystems for forensic investigators…

This week I'm going to talk about tabletop exercises as part of a security training program. I feel that there is too much focus on technical skill training and not enough focus on actual incident management training in the industry. There are plenty of highly skilled professionals that can do DFIR work… However, a roadblock, many organizations and practitioners encounter is in the struggle of how to actually implement their knowledge and skills for a security incident response investigation within a specific organization. They may know what to do, but there are many challenges in identifying actually how to do it when the time comes. I will share my thoughts on how to improve your security program through simulation training…

This week I'm talking about The NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) investigation lifecycle. The NIST investigation lifecycle encompasses a series of well-defined steps, starting from problem identification and scoping, through data collection and analysis, to the formulation of conclusions and recommendations. This comprehensive framework ensures that investigations conducted by NIST are rigorous, unbiased, and provide reliable results that can be used to inform decision-making, improve practices, and promote innovation across a wide range of disciplines. More about it...

This week I'm talking about linux forensic triage strategy. In particular, I'm covering SSH. SSH traffic comes up in many different types of investigations. For that reason, it is a common and standard artifact every examiner should be familiar with. I will provide you the artifact background and the triage strategy…..

The USN Journal, also known as the Update Sequence Number Journal, is a feature of the Windows operating system that serves as a record of changes made to files and directories on a disk volume. It provides valuable information and insights into file system activities, which can aid investigators in reconstructing events, understanding system behavior, and uncovering evidence. This week I break down the artifact from a DFIR point of view provide triage strategy.....

This week Jason Roslewicz from SUMURI returns for some web 3.0 and virtual reality talk.

This week I talk about adding, modifying, and removing network shares through the lens of detecting lateral movement.

This week I break down the three Windows task hosts from a DFIR point of view.

This week I talk about network share access events and lateral movement detection.

This week Jason Roslewicz from SUMURI returns for some cloud talk.

This week I talk about the exploitation of the Windows Management Instrumentation application.

This week Chris Currier and I talk about mobile forensics and protocol buffers.

This week I cover Windows events commonly associated with data spoliation and insider threats.

This week Jason Roslewicz from SUMURI returns for some ransomware talk.

This week I Cover my all-time favorite Windows event, security event 4688: new process creation. If you do windows, incident, response, forensics, this is a must-know know artifact.

This week I talk about SVCHOST; how it fits into the Windows operating system, and how to think about it from a DFIR point of view.

This week I talk with Interview with Yugal Pathak about organizational forensic readiness.

This week I talk about the role and typical responsibilities DFIR professionals may be called up to take to assist with a zero-day response.

This week Jason Roslewicz from SUMURI returns to talk more about AI issues.

This week I break down the Windows System Resource Usage Monitor from a DFIR point of view.

This week I cover some malware detection methods for Linux.

This week I talk about different ways to approach windows process triage. There are so many processes, especially in enterprise environments, having a standard approach that is fast and effective is key for security incident response.

This week Jason Roslewicz from SUMURI shares his insights about the impact of artificial intelligence and provides advice for navigating through changing times. 

This week is a Windows artifact breakdown on a common source of evidence.

This week I cover malware on Linux file systems for new examiners.

This week is a guide to understanding SVCHOST from a DFIR point of view. It is one of the most abused Windows processes, and having a firm working knowledge for investigations is essential.

This week is a Windows artifact breakdown on a common source of evidence.

This week I cover the Linux file system for new examiners.

This week I breakdown the elements within a standard CVSS report for fast triage application.

This week I talk about how to triage Windows events for network connection activity.

This week I talk about how to approach investigations involving remote desktop connections.

This week I talk about Windows core processes from a DFIR point of view.

This week I talk about Powershell attack IOCs.

This week I talk about how to triage Windows events for network connection activity.

This week is my annual career assessment review - or, my guidelines of how to evaluate your past performance and your future goals.

This week I talk about how to triage Windows events for network listening activity.

This week I talk about an approach for reviewing Windows event logs.

This week I talk about an approach for reviewing CMD syntax for findings.

This week I talk about essential network basics necessary for triage.

This week I talk about Webshell forensics.

This week I talk about Webshell forensics.

This week I talk about Windows startup locations.

This week I talk about Windows Prefetch forensics.

This week I talk about fileless attacks Linux systems.

This week I talk about how to find evidence of malicious autoruns in the windows registry using Windows event codes.

This week I talk about strategies to determine root cause early during an investigation.

This week is a breakdown of HTTP log forensic triage.

This week I talk about finding evidence of Kernel file masquerading on Linux systems.

This week I talk about how to find evidence of malicious autoruns in the windows registry.

This week I talk about the forensic value of the Apple Spotlight DB.

When you talk autoruns you must talk about the Windows registry. This artifact is very dense and it may be difficult to zero in on the elements that are important for compromise assessment. Given that, I am going to begin the series with a breakdown of the Windows Registry from a DFIR point of view. This is crucial in understanding ...

This week’s focus is on other scheduled task events useful for DFIR triage.

This week I talk about a popular Windows utility attackers often exploit.

This week I breakdown the SUDOERS file for forensic triage.

This week’s focus is on new scheduled tasks, which are a common way of establishing longevity on system. I will have my breakdown of the artifact and how to interpret it for fast analysis coming up….

This week is about persistence artifacts. Namely the records for when services fail to start, are either started or stopped, have crashed have had their start type changed. Since services are one of the common ways attackers achieve persistence, understanding how these events may be used for triage purposes is very important...

This week I talk Mac autoruns.

This week is about bash history forensics.

Every so often I like to revisit certifications. Everyone seems to have their own opinion as to the value of one certification over another, whether or not certifications should carry as much weight as they do, or preference of certain certifications over others, and so on. In this episode I’m sharing my thoughts on the topic as well as how I would approach certifications if I were new in the field but also retained everything I have learned over the years about the impact certifications have or can have on your career.

If you are accustomed to Windows forensics you may find you have to shift your way of thinking about executables when you are dealing with a Linux system. Unlike Windows, in Linux there is no fixed file extension to designate an executable. Everything on a Linux system of the file and any file can be executable, so where do you even begin? In this episode I am going to address how to approach Linux executables to help those newer to Linux exams deal with the nuances.

One of the first things attackers attempt to accomplish on a compromised system is to establish persistence. Unless you are dealing with a denial of service attack, most other attacker goals are centered on maintaining the degree of control over a compromise system in order to use system resources for things like cryptomining or to maintain a foothold to further an attack strategy. This week I am going to talk about a fast triage methodology for persistence, which is one of the first triage strategies I normally recommend for a compromise assessment. Because I am focusing on a fast triage methodology I am going to focus on the artifacts most examiners will have readily at hand and how to make the most of them during the initial pass.

This week I’m covering the Master file table as a core forensic artifact for Windows investigations. This artifact has value is both a primary and secondary artifact and offers opportunity to decode evidence in a number of different situations. In this episode I’m covering the forensic basics, some use cases and tools you can use to bring the value of the artifact to its full potential.

This week of talking malware fast triage. These are the techniques that are short of malware reverse engineering and allow analysts to identify malware and also get a sense of what it is does. This is a necessary skill set for all DFIR professionals as you typically deal with malware and you need a way to do some basic forensics on it for context to advance your investigation. This is going to be a two-part episode where I first go over the foundational information you need to have four common malware triage tasks and the second part will go over specific methods, tools, and indicators for different types of artifacts.

This week of talking malware fast triage. These are the techniques that are short of malware reverse engineering and allow analysts to identify malware and also get a sense of what it is does. This is a necessary skill set for all DFIR professionals as you typically deal with malware and you need a way to do some basic forensics on it for context to advance your investigation. This is going to be a two-part episode where I first go over the foundational information you need to have four common malware triage tasks and the second part will go over specific methods, tools, and indicators for different types of artifacts.

This week I’m talking about SRUM, a Windows artifact that you don’t hear that much about. It has a lot of great potential as evidence and it is something worth the time to check it out and see how it fits into your daily DFIR work.

This week I’m going to cover detecting lateral movement using Windows event logs. This is not the Windows fast triage method I covered in previous episodes. This is more in-depth and focuses on specific attack tools and strategies seen in actual cases. Going into this level of detail is beyond the scope of a typical episode, however there is some research that has very granular details on the tools and methods you can use. I’ll have that coming up right after this.

This we can talk about Arthir, an open source platform for windows incident response and threat hunting.

This week is a back to basic episode featuring Shimcache and Amcache. Learn what they are, why they are important to many investigations and the pitfalls to avoid.

This week is about Cloud Network Security Services.

This week is about cloud network segmentation. Network segmentation has security advantages, and that’s regardless of whether or not security is the intention. There are some big differences between traditional on-prem network segmentation and cloud infrastructure segmentation. As a DFIR practitioner, knowing the difference is vital for your incident response preparedness. This week I will break it down from a DFIR point of view and provide some necessary insight that will help you better structure your investigations involving cloud assets.

This week I cover insider threat, which is sort of a gray area between traditional investigations and DFIR investigations. 

This week I’m talking about identity access controls commonly encountered in cloud environments. These come up during DFIR investigations and high-level awareness, at the least, is necessary for analysts in order to be effective during investigations. These are the things that may be part of root cause, part of the attack escalation, or part of mitigation will remediation. This week all cover the basics to help with your incident response preparedness.

This week is my advice for conducting a career critique as well as to plan for the future - or at least for 2022. I do this episode every year at this time with the intention of helping newer analysts maximize their efforts to achieve the desired career goals in both the short term and long term.

This week we continue with the Windows fast triage series and talk about lateral movement evidence that may be found in DC records.

This week is a continuation of the threats to cloud computing miniseries. We are stepping through the top 11 threats to cloud computing as identified by the Cloud Security alliance. When you are protecting cloud assets or investigating breaches of cloud assets, there is a lot to keep in mind. You must remember the standard security infrastructure, the new cloud infrastructure as well as any changes to the standard infrastructure that could be affected for your investigation. The top 11 threats to cloud computing help identify where you, as an analyst, should prioritize your time both as a starting point and how you use your limited time for continuing education.

This week I review a great method to detect file poisoning on Linux using all native commands.

This week SUMURI's Steve Whalen (a.k.a. 'MacBoy') talks Mac artifacts

This week we continue with the Windows fast triage series and talk about lateral movement evidence that may be found in logon event records.

This week Brian Carrier of Basis Technology joins me to talk about OSDFCon. The DFIR community relies on open source tools and the conference is a great way to get exposure to new tools and to learn how to use them. There's a great lineup this year with something for everyone. Registration is free for everyone.

This week is a case study where we look at an actual attack strategy and compared it against standard triage methods to see how well they hold up. In this episode I break down some attack methods attributed to APT32, also known as Ocean Lotus, and we’ll see how standard triage techniques hold up against the attack chain. 

Amanda Berlin of Blumira speaks on malicious Powershell attacks and defense techniques.

This week SUMURI's Steve Whalen (a.k.a. 'MacBoy') talks Mac forensics.

This week I’m talking about Nested Groups and the risk they pose for security. Built-in to the functionality of Active Directory is the ability to attach a group to another group. While this has advantages for account administration across an organization, it also offers attackers opportunity if certain precautions are not taken. This week I’ll break down Nested Groups in DFIR terms, talk about how attackers take advantage of it and what analysts need to know for investigations.

This week is a case study where we look at an actual attack strategy and compared it against standard triage methods to see how well they hold up. The Turla group using ComRat malware is our case example, let’s see if standard triage techniques can save the day.

Matt Warner, Blumira CTO and Co-Founder, talks ransomware investigations.

This week is a continuation of the threats to cloud computing miniseries. We are stepping through the top 11 threats to cloud computing as identified by the Cloud Security alliance. When you are protecting cloud assets or investigating breaches of cloud assets, there is a lot to keep in mind. You must remember the standard security infrastructure, the new cloud infrastructure as well as any changes to the standard infrastructure that could be affected for your investigation. The top 11 threats to cloud computing help identify where you, as an analyst, should prioritize your time both as a starting point and how you use your limited time for continuing education. 

This week is a case study that demonstrates how fundamental DFIR triage methods can detect advanced attacks. Examiners, especially newer examiners, should find confidence in the fact that standard triage techniques have such a powerful impact on security investigations.

This week Nato Riley from Blumira pays a visit to talk about the top threats to cloud computing.

This week we continue with the Windows fast triage series and talk about lateral movement evidence that may be found in admin shares event records.  Four different types of logs are covered, each containing different information for triage purposes.

This week SUMURI's Steve Whalen (a.k.a. 'MacBoy') and Dave Melvin talk about the latest in Mac training and certification. Learn the advantages of vendor neutral training and how to prioritize it in your own training regiment.

As an analyst, it is important to identify root cause and link it back to security governance strategies. This is dealt with through root cause statements typically. What exactly should you be doing for a root cause statement? How important is it? If you produce a findings report you can count on the root cause statement being read. Other parts of the document may be skimmed through, or even ignored, but the root cause statement is going to draw the attention of a variety of different audiences. Therefore this is something you want to get right. In this episode I’m going to deliver a simple approach you can use.

Most of my episodes are about computer forensic artifacts and methods. Once in a while I like to cover non-technical topics, such as thoughts and recommendations about career development, subject matter expertise strategies, and impact exposure or delivery of your work. These soft skills are important to your career success. So this week will be on maximizing DFIR exposure in your current role, whatever that role may be. I will cover how to connect the work you do with the high-level strategies that are important to your management or your customers.

This week is a continuation of the threats to cloud computing miniseries. We are stepping through the top 11 threats to cloud computing as identified by the Cloud Security alliance. When you are protecting cloud assets or investigating breaches of cloud assets, there is a lot to keep in mind. You must remember the standard security infrastructure, the new cloud infrastructure as well as any changes to the standard infrastructure that could be affected for your investigation. The top 11 threats to cloud computing help identify where you, as an analyst, should prioritize your time both as a starting point and how you use your limited time for continuing education. 

This week we continue with the Windows fast triage series. We are up to lateral movement and talking about admin shares. On topic this week is event 5145 which is a Windows log that records verbose information about network share objects and it is an artifact you can use to triage a system or group of systems for evidence of malicious lateral movement. 

This week I wanted to take a break from Windows forensics and talk about Linux malware triage. The Linux platform offers forensic analysts the opportunity to do a very decent job performing malware triage. What I mean by this is that you do not need any special tools installed, all you essentially need is the knowledge of a handful of commands in the ability to make sense of the output. Armed with this, any analyst can do a malware triage quickly and efficiently.

This week we’re going to take a look at how standard triage methodology can detect advanced attack techniques. Even as a newer examiners, if you learn the standard triage methods that I have covered in the fast triage series, you will find the skills provide ample opportunity to detect all sorts attack activity-even very advanced attack activity. This is because there are natural chokepoints in the attack chain that can be used to your advantage. This week we are going to see the non-Windows core process triage in action through the lens of a very advanced attack dubbed “operation ghost.”

This week we take another look at the top threats to cloud computing. On tap This week is account hijacking. All analysts working in the DFIR field today must be aware of threats to cloud computing in order to be effective in their roles. 

This week I talk about lateral movement fast triage. This is the next topic in the Windows fast triage miniseries and it aligns with the goal of the entire series, which is to help new or any analyst identify the most accessible artifacts that may be quickly analyzed to find evidence of compromise. So far we have dealt with persistence, suspicious network activity, and suspicious processes. As always, I will provide a simple yet effective approach to work with lateral movement artifacts.

This week I’m doing another walk-through to illustrate how standard triage methodology can detect advanced attack techniques. Sometimes as a newer examiner, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the technical detail necessary to understand and attack. It’s also easy to become discouraged and convince yourself that it’s way too complicated for your current skill set and you may not even feel useful as a team member. This episode is going to dispel all of that and show you how a focus on the standard fast triage method provides all the knowledge you need to detect and advanced breach into an environment.

This week I’m covering malware fast triage. It occurred to me that I should revisit this issue for a couple of different reasons. I remember covering this many years ago and I believe that’s why I haven’t thought about doing anything on it lately. However, it does go hand-in-hand with the Windows fast triage series that I am doing. Part of that strategy is to look for “common malware patterns.” In an effort to maximize what the listeners get from the episodes I figured this topic definitely needs to be revisited so that when I use that term, you are at least clear on what I mean by it and the method it represents.

This week is a continuation of the Windows fast triage miniseries. While other aspects of the triage miniseries had fairly contained artifacts to examine, new process triage presents a large and complex landscape to the analyst. I have already broken down a number of effective analysis methods to make this more manageable. This week I focus on key applications to look for during a review. These applications tend to be associated more with malicious activity, at least according to threat intelligence research, so being aware of them and recognizing the potential is important. I also spend some time talking about the nuances of CMD.

A while back I did an episode on “learning from the red team” which focused on methods blue team members can utilize to better understand attacks and the artifacts affected by those attacks. One of the advantages of this method that I did not mention in that episode was how to use open source vulnerability scanners for the same purpose. This week, will be part two and I will go over freely available resources and the method to help you gain better insight into forensic artifacts.

This week I interview Haseeb Awan, CEO of EFANI, about the rise of SIM swapping attacks. Haseeb explains the attack, how attackers carry it out, and provides some mitigation strategies.

This week is part 2 of the Mobile Attack series.

This week I interview Steve Whalen of SUMURI about Apple metadata.

This week I talk with MSAB about DHASH, learn what it is and its use in DFIR investigations

This week I talk about SVCHOST. This Windows core process is one of the most targeted artifacts that comes up again and again during investigations.

This week I go over how to approach windows core processes from the standpoint of fast triage methodology. Since these processes are found on all window systems it makes sense to develop and investigative approach that focuses on quickly reviewing each process for anomalies.

This week I talk about the investigative value of creating a mobile compromise assessment strategy.

This week I share my thoughts on DFIR job interviews. How to prepare. Things to consider. Pitfalls to avoid.

Tips from the DFIR Trenches

This week I talk about methodologies to investigate root cause during incident response investigations.