Digital Forensic Survival Podcast

Today’s episode explores Apple Spotlight and its extended metadata—a powerful yet often overlooked forensic tool in the Mac ecosystem. Spotlight plays a critical role in uncovering digital evidence on macOS. Both experienced forensic analysts and newcomers will find its capabilities essential. Let’s dive into the details.

BIN directories (short for binary) store command binaries like CD, PWD, LS, Vi, and CAT. Every platform has multiple BIN directories: two in the root directory and two in each user directory. This episode explains the types of files in these directories and the purpose of each BIN directory. I will also clarify which directories are typically used by users versus those used by the root user.

Modern Windows systems use a tightly coordinated sequence of core processes to establish secure system and user environments. DFIR investigators and incident responders must understand the interrelationships between processes such as Idle, SMSS, CSRSS, WININIT, and WINLOGON. Recognizing expected behaviors and anomalies in these steps is crucial for detecting potential system compromises. This epis...

Today we’re talking all about MacOS AutoRun locations and how to spot persistence mechanisms. We’ll explore the ins and outs of property list files, launch daemons, system integrity protections, and the recent changes in macOS that can impact your forensic examinations...

This week I'm talking about the three task hosts. These are Windows core files, and they share not only similar names, but similar functionality. Because of this, there is the potential for confusion, which may allow an attacker to leverage these similarities and mask they are malware. My goal in this episode is to demystify the three different task hosts, and provide the necessary insight for pro...

Today’s episode is all about Windows event logs that record blocked network connections. Blocked network events are interesting because they might signal that an attacker’s secondary or tertiary toolset isn’t working as intended. That’s good news from a security standpoint...

Today I cover an evolving threat in the cybersecurity world: data brokers. From a computer forensics standpoint, this threats pose unique challenges. While breaches capture headlines, data brokers play a major (and sometimes overlooked) role in fueling cybercrime. In this session, we will explore how these threats operate, why they are dangerous, and how computer forensics professionals can combat...

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is a powerful tool for assessing the severity and impact of security vulnerabilities. In digital forensics and incident response, CVSS scores can provide critical context to prioritize investigations and focus on the most significant risks. This episode I will explore how leveraging CVSS scoring enhances vulnerability assessments during incident respo...

Understanding the behavior and characteristics of common file types used in attacks, such as executables, scripts, and document files, is essential for effective analysis. In this episode, we will explore practical approaches to triage malware, focusing on key indicators and techniques for prioritizing investigations. 

Windows permit events, often overlooked, offer valuable details about allowed network connections that can reveal patterns of malicious activity. In this episode, we will dive into how analyzing these events can enhance network triage, enabling security teams to detect, scope, and respond to threats more effectively. 

Security risk assessments can be a tool for guiding and prioritizing incident response investigations. By evaluating the potential impact and likelihood of various threats, these assessments provide a structured framework to identify and mitigate risks effectively. This episode will explore how integrating security risk assessments into incident response workflows enhances response strategies.

This week, we’re focusing on the Windows Prefetch artifact—a cornerstone in Windows forensics, especially for user endpoint investigations. In this episode, I’ll break down the Prefetch artifact from an investigative perspective, covering how to effectively leverage its evidence in forensic analysis. I’ll also highlight any recent changes to the artifact that may impact its value, ensuring you’re...

This week, we’re exploring malware triage techniques. Unlike full binary analysis, malware triage is often seen as an essential skill that every digital forensic and incident response professional should master. In this episode, I’ll walk you through the core elements of malware triage, helping you understand the various skills needed to meet industry expectations. By the end, any analyst should f...

This week, we’re diving into how to triage for PSEXEC evidence. PSEXEC leaves traces on both the source and target systems, making it essential to identify artifacts on each to determine whether a system was used as an attacker’s tool or was the target of an attack. While PSEXEC has somewhat fallen out of favor due to increased use of PowerShell for similar activities, it remains a commonly abused...

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 u...

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 e...

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 techniq...

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 atta...

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 an...

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 knowledg...