forensic cyber security

 

1. What is Forensic Cyber Security?

Forensic cyber security is concerned with:

• Cyber incidents, breaches, and crimes.

• Collecting, preserving, and analyzing digital evidence.

• Presentation in legal or organizational proceedings.

• It brings together the elements of computer science, law enforcement, and cybersecurity to combat cybercrime effectively.

2. Importance of Forensic Cyber Security

• Legal Proceedings: Offers admissible evidence for prosecuting cybercriminals.

• Incident Response: Assists organizations in knowing the extent of a breach and mitigating risks.

• Compliance: Ensures adherence to regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS.

• Prevention: Identifies vulnerabilities to prevent future incidents.

3. Types of Digital Evidence

• Volatile Data: Information in memory (RAM) that is lost when a system is powered off.

• Non-Volatile Data: Persistent data stored on hard drives, SSDs, or removable media.

• Network Data: Logs, traffic captures, or metadata from network devices.

• Cloud Evidence: Data stored in cloud services like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.

• Mobile Devices: Evidence from smart phones, tablets, and IoT devices.

4. Critical Steps in Forensic Cyber Security

a. Identification

• Incident or suspicious activity detected

• Systems, devices, or data involved identified

b. Preservation

• A bit-by-bit copy of the data is made to prevent tampering

• The chain of custody of evidence handled is maintained

c. Analysis

Forensic tools are utilized to analyze data for:

• Malware.

• Unauthorized access.

• Data exfiltration.

• System logs or timestamps.

d. Documentation

• All findings, methodologies, and results are noted.

• Present detailed reports for legal or internal use.

Presentation

• Produce evidence to the court and stakeholders in comprehensible form

• Expert witnesses will present findings during legal proceedings.

5. Available Cyber Forensic Tools

a. Disk and Data Forensics

• EnCase: Offers a comprehensive toolkit for data extraction and analysis.

• FTK: Forensic Toolkit; disk image and analysis software.

• Autopsy: Open-source forensic tool for digital investigation

b. Memory Forensics

• Volatility Framework; volatile memory scanner that can assist in malware identification and suspicious activities.

• Rekall: Advanced memory forensic analysis tool.

c. Network Forensics

• Wireshark: Captures and analyses network traffic.

• Xplico: Extracts application-level data from packet captures.

d. Mobile Forensics

• Cellebrite: Globally leading mobile device data extraction company.

• Magnet AXIOM: Comprehensive tool for mobile and cloud.

e. Malware Analysis

• IDA Pro: Analyzes and disassembles malware.

• Cuckoo Sandbox: Automates the analysis of malware behavior.

6. Challenges in Cyber Forensics

a. Data Volume

• Massive data sets cause delayed investigation.

• Solution: Automated tools and machine learning to quickly scan through data.

b. Encryption

• Encrypted files as well as communications become a challenge.

• Solution: Engage legal authorities for unlocking the encryption.

c. Chain of Custody

• Failure to follow proper procedures may jeopardize admissibility of evidence

• Solution: Strict adherence to properly document evidence.

d. Cloud Forensics

• Data is usually spread across several regions in the cloud.

• Solution: Applies forensic tools on cloud settings plus collaborating with providers.

• Cybercrimes often involve more than one country, making it difficult to investigate.

• Solution: Align investigations with international treaties such as the Budapest Convention.

7. Types of Cyber Incidents Investigated

• Hacking and Unauthorized Access: Tracking attackers who break into systems.

• Data Breaches: Investigating theft or exposure of sensitive data.

• Insider Threats: Identifying malicious actions by employees.

• Phishing and Fraud: Analyzing deceptive emails or scams.

• Denial of Service (DoS): Investigating traffic patterns to locate the source.

8. Career in Cyber Forensics

Roles:

• Digital Forensics Analyst: Digital evidence for analysis, law enforcement or private firms.

• Incident Response Specialist: Cybersecurity breaches managed and systems recovered.

• Malware Analyst: Studying of malware to understand its behavior and origin.

Required Skills:

• Forensic skill on tooling, e.g., EnCase, FTK

• Strong OS knowledge-Windows, Linux, macOS

• Cyber security principles and incident response

Certifications:

• Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE)

• GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA)

• Certified Cyber Forensics Professional (CCFP).

9. Emerging Trends

• AI and Machine Learning: Automated evidence analysis to identify anomalies quicker

• Blockchain Forensics: Transaction investigations on decentralized ledgers.

• IoT Forensics: Data analysis from connected devices.

• Dark Web Monitoring: Detection of stolen data or activity in hidden networks.