Preface

In the ever-changing digital world, where information is constantly flowing and our lives are increasingly digitized, the need for strong digital forensics skills is more important than ever. Welcome to Windows Forensics Analyst Field Guide: Engage in proactive cyber defense using digital forensics techniques, a comprehensive guide that explores the complex world of Windows digital forensics.

The digital age has changed our lives in many ways. We now can connect with people all over the world, have access to information at our fingertips, and can be more productive than ever before. However, this digital revolution has also created new challenges. Cyber threats and data breaches are on the rise, and it is more important than ever to be able to protect our digital data.

One way to protect our digital data is to understand the digital footprints we leave behind. Every time we use a computer or smartphone, we create a trail of data that can be used to track us, identify us, and even steal our identity. By understanding these digital footprints, we can take steps to protect our privacy and security.

The ability to uncover, analyze, and interpret digital traces is a valuable skill in the digital age. This skill is known as digital forensics, and it is used by law enforcement, businesses, and individuals to investigate cybercrimes, data breaches, and other digital incidents.

Join us as we embark on this compelling journey through the heart of Windows forensics. Together, we will uncover the truth hidden within digital landscapes and uphold the principles of justice, security, and integrity in our digital age.

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone who wants to learn about Windows-based digital forensics. It covers everything from the basics of the Windows operating system to the latest techniques for investigating digital evidence.

The book starts by introducing the Windows architecture, filesystems, and registry. It then discusses how to collect and preserve digital evidence from Windows systems. The book also covers the different types of digital evidence that can be found on Windows systems, such as user activity, application artifacts, and network interactions.

The book is full of practical examples and exercises, so you can learn by doing. It also includes a glossary of terms and a list of resources for further learning.

Whether you are a novice or a seasoned investigator, this book will give you the skills and knowledge you need to conduct successful Windows-based digital forensics investigations.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Introducing the Windows OS and Filesystems and Getting Prepared for the Labs, covers an introduction to Windows forensics and the Windows operating system. It will also cover the main aspects of the Windows operating system.

Chapter 2, Evidence Acquisition, covers powerful tools utilized in triaging Windows evidence, such as KAPE and FTK Imager. We will learn how to set up a proper evidence acquisition process and use the tools that we have at our disposal to preserve digital evidence.

Chapter 3, Memory Forensics for the Windows OS, discusses how volatile data is considered a gold mine for digital forensics. We will learn how to preserve volatile evidence and deep dive into forensic analysis using volatility.

Chapter 4, The Windows Registry, covers the Windows registry, which is a hierarchal database that holds hardware and software settings, user preferences, and more. We will learn about this amazing artifact and how to analyze it using open source tools.

Chapter 5, User Profiling Using the Windows Registry, covers profiling system details using the Windows registry, which is a fundamental technique in digital forensics and system analysis. Investigators can gain valuable insights into the system’s history, configuration, and user activities.

Chapter 6, Application Execution Artifacts, discusses how investigating execution evidence is considered a must in digital forensics and incident response. In this chapter, we dive into artifacts that play a pivotal role in investigations, helping forensic analysts reconstruct timelines, understand user interactions, and detect potential security incidents.

Chapter 7, Forensic Analysis of USB Artifacts, looks at USB devices, which are now essential tools for data storage and transfer. While their convenience is undeniable, their widespread use also poses challenges in the field of digital forensics. We will focus on tracking USB devices using multiple artifacts.

Chapter 8, Forensic Analysis of Browser Artifacts, discusses how as our lives become increasingly digital, web browsers have become the gateways to vast amounts of information, communication, and activity. We will cover multiple browsers and how to properly conduct an investigation.

Chapter 9, Exploring Additional Artifacts, provides an overview of additional artifacts that help forensic examiners to further examine an incident, such as the master file table and event logs. Our objective is to optimize the utilization of these resources.

To get the most out of this book

You will need a basic understanding of Windows operating system usage.

Software/hardware covered in the book	OS requirements
VMware Workstation (latest version)	Windows
FTK Imager	Windows

Each chapter has a Technical requirements section that mentions the tools needed along with links to download them.

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: “We discussed NTUSER.DAT, which is a registry hive containing information about user activity, including the execution of programs and the use of various applications.”

A block of code is set as follows:

kape.exe --tsource C:\ --tdest C:\ KAPE\output\ --target !BasicCollection,Symantec_AV_Logs,Chrome,ChromeExtensions,
Edge,Firefox,InternetExplorer,WebBrowsers,ApacheAccessLog,
$Boot,$J,$LogFile,$MFT,Amcache,ApplicationEvents,EventLogs,
EventLogs-RDP,EventTraceLogs,EvidenceOfExecution,FileSystem,
MOF,Prefetch,RDPCache,RDPLogs,RecentFileCache,Recycle,RecycleBin,
RecycleBinContent,RecycleBinMetadata,RegistryHives,
RegistryHivesSystem,RegistryHivesUser,ScheduledTasks,SRUM

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

PECmd.exe  -d C:\Windows\Prefetch --csv C:\temp --csvf Prefetch.csv

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For example, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in the text like this. Here is an example: “What we notice here is that the Values tab holds data encoded in ROT-13. By clicking on the UserAssist tab, we can get the same details in human-readable format; you can also use decoding tools to decode the value as needed if that is required.”

Tips or important notes

Appear like this.

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