Tag: cyber security training

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Understanding the Volatile evidence assortment

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Most of the systems store information associated with this session in temporary type across registries, cache, and RAM. This information is well lost once the user switches the system off, leading to loss of the session data. Therefore, the primary responders got to extract it as a priority.This section explains why volatile information is vital, order of volatility, volatile information assortment methodology, and collection volatile data alongside tools.

Why Volatile information Important?

Volatile data refers to the data hold on within the registries, cache, and RAM of digital devices. This data is lost or erased whenever the system is turned off or rebooted. The volatile data is dynamic in nature and keeps on dynamic with time; therefore, the incident responders/investigators ought to be able to collect the information in real time.
Volatile information exists within the physical memory or RAM and consists of method data, process-to-port mapping, method memory, network connections, writing board contents, state of the system, and so on. The incident responders/investigators should collect this information throughout the live information acquisition method.
The first step to require when the tending security incident report is to amass volatile information. Volatile information is vital for investigation the crime scene as a result of it contains helpful data.

Volatile data includes:
Running processes                                  
Passwords in clear text                          
Instant messages (IMs)                          
Executed console commands                
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses          
Trojan horse(s)                                      
Unencrypted data

Additional useful volatile data includes:
Logging information
Open ports and listening
applications
Registry information
System information
Attached devices
This information assists in determinative a logical timeline of the safety incident and also the doable users accountable.

Order of Volatility

Incident responders/investigators should keep in mind that the whole information don’t have an equivalent level of volatility and collect the foremost volatile information initial, throughout live acquisitions.

The order of volatility for a typical computer system is as follows:

Registers and cache

The information within the registers or the processor cache on the pc exists around for a matter of nanoseconds. They are there forever ever-changing and are the foremost volatile information.

Routing table, method table, kernel statistics, and memory

A routing table, ARP cache, kernel statistics data is within the normal memory of the pc. These are a small amount less volatile than the data within the registers, with the life associate usually nanoseconds.

Temporary file systems

Temporary file systems term to be gift for a extended time on the pc compared to routing tables, ARP cache, and so on. These systems square measure eventually over written or modified, generally in seconds or minutes later.

Disk or different storage media

Anything hold on a disk stays for a short time. However, sometimes, things might fail and erase or write over that information. Therefore, disk information also are volatile with a time period of some minutes.

Remote work and observance information associated with the target system

The data that goes through a firewall generates logs during a router or during a switch. The Totem may store these logs away. the matter is that these logs will over Write themselves, generally every day later, associate hour later, or per week later. However, usually they’re less volatile than a tough drive.

Physical configuration and topology

Physical configuration and topology are less volatile and have additional lifetime than another logs.

Archival media

A DVD-ROM, a fixed storage or a tape will have the smallest amount volatile information as a result of the digital data isn’t planning to amendment in such information sources mechanically any time unless broken beneath a physical force.

Volatile information assortment Methodology

The volatile information assortment plays a serious role within the crime scene investigation. to confirm no loss occur throughout the gathering of vital proof, the investigators or incident responders ought to follow the right methodology and supply a documented approach for playing activities during a accountable manner.

Discussed below is that the bit-by-bit procedure for the volatile information assortment methodology:

Step 1: Incident Response Preparation

Eliminating or anticipating every kind of security incident or threat isn’t doable. However, to gather every kind of volatile information, responders should be able to react to the safety incident with success. The incident responders attempting to assemble volatile information should have expertise in collection volatile information, correct permissions, and authorization from incident manager or security administrator or an individual in authority should be taken before assembling information.

The following things ought to be in situ before an event occurs:
– At least answerer toolkit response disk
– An incident response team IRT or selected 1st answerer
– Forensic-related policies that leave rhetorical information assortment

Step 2: Incident Documentation

Ensure to store the logs and profiles in organized and decipherable format. as an example, use naming conventions for rhetorical tool output, record time stamps of log activities and embrace the identity of the rhetorical investigator or incident answerer. Document all the knowledge concerning the safety incident wants and maintain a book to record all actions throughout the forensic assortment. Mistreatment the primary answerer toolkit book helps to decide on the most effective tools for the investigation.

Step 3: Policy Verification

Ensure that the actions planned don’t violate the present network and laptop usage policies and any rights of the registered owner or user likewise.

Points to think about for policy verification:
Read and examine all the policies signed by the user of the suspicious laptop
Determine the rhetorical capabilities and limitations of the incident answerer by decisive the legal rights together with a review of federal statutes of the user

Step 4: Volatile information assortment Strategy

Security incidents don’t seem to be similar. the primary answerer toolkit book and also the queries from the graphic to form the volatile information assortment strategy that suits true and leaves a negligible quantity of footprint on the suspicious system ought to be used.
Devise a method supported concerns like the sort of volatile information, the supply of the info, kind of media used, and sort of association. make certain to possess enough area to repeat the whole info.

Step 5: Volatile information assortment Setup

Volatile information assortment setup includes following steps:
Establish a trustworthy command shell
Do not open or use a command shell or terminal from the suspicious system. This minimizes the footprint on the suspicious system and restricts the triggering of any reasonably malware put in crime the system.

Establish the transmission and storage methodology
Identify and record the information the info the information transmission from the live suspicious laptop to the remote data assortment system, as there’ll not be enough area on response disk to gather rhetorical tool output. For example: internet cat and crypt cat that transmit information remotely via a network.

Ensure the integrity of forensic tool output
Compute AN MD5 hash, of the forensic tool output to confirm integrity and acceptableness.

Step 6: Volatile information assortment method

– Record the time, date, and command history of the system
– To establish AN audit path generate dates and times whereas capital punishment every rhetorical tool or command
– Start a command history to document all the forensic assortment activities. Collect all doable volatile info from the system and network
– Do not shut clown or restart a system beneath investigation till all relevant volatile information has been recorded
– Maintain a log of all actions conducted on a running machine
– Photograph the screen of the running system to document its state
– Identify the OS running on the suspect machine
– Note system date, time and command history, if shown on screen, and record with the current actual time
– Check the system for the utilization of whole disk or tile encoding
– Do not use the executive utilities on the compromised system throughout an investigation, and significantly use caution once running diagnostic utilities
– As every forensic tool or command is dead, generate the date and time to ascertain an audit path
– Dump the RAM from the system to a forensically sterile removable storage device
– Collect different volatile CAS information and save to a removable memory device
– Determine proof seizure methodology of hardware and any extra artifacts on the disc drive which will be determined to be of evidentiary value}
– Complete a full report documenting all steps and actions taken.

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Performing of evidence Analysis

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Evidence is not static and not focused at one purpose on the network. the variability of hardware and code found on the network makes the evidence-gathering method tougher. when gathering proof, proof analysis helps to reconstruct the crime to provide a clearer image of the crime and determine the missing links within the image.

Evidence Analysis: Preparations
Preparation takes several steps before beginning an actual proof analysis. the primary communicator has to prepare and check many conditions like the provision of tools, reportage demand, and legal clearances so as to conduct a eminent invest igat particle . it’s necessary to arrange and consult w it h the involved persons, that is needed before, during, and when the investigation. proof analysis helps during analyzing the proof to search out the attackers and technique of attacks in a lawfully sound manner.

As a district of an proof analysis, the primary responders can perform following preparations:
• Understand the investigation needs and situations
• Check w it h the lawyer/organization for any specific analysis needs
• Have a replica of organization’s rhetorical investigation policy
• Transport proof to a secure location or rhetorical investigation science lab
• Check the la b facilities before beginning the analysis
• Prepare the proof analysis toolkit containing imaging, recovery, and analysis tools

Forensic Analysis Tools
Forensics analysis tools facilitate 1st responders in collect image, managing, transferring, and storing necessary info needed throughout forensics investigation. using these tools, a primary respondent will act quickly throughout investigation a security incident. a complicated investigation toolkit will cut back the incident impact by stopping the incident from spreading through the systems. this can minimize the organization’s injury and a id the investigation method additionally.

• Forensic mortal
Forensic mortal recovers and analyzes hidden and system files, deleted files, file and disk slack and unallocated clusters. Rhetorical mortal could be a tool for the preservation, analysis, and presentation of electronic proof. the first users of this tool area unit investigation agencies that facilitate in acting analysis of electronic proof.

• Event Log mortal
Event Log mortal could be a software system answer for viewing, monitoring, and analyzing events recorded in security, system, application, and different logs of Microsoft Windows operational systems. It helps to quickly browse, find, and report on issues, security warnings, and every one different events that area unit generated inside Windows.

Features:

  1. Use a multiple-document or tabbed-document interface, counting on user preferences.
  2. Favorite computers and their logs ar classified into a tree o duplicate event logs manually and mechanically.
  3. Event descriptions and binary knowledge ar within the log window.
  4. Advanced filtering is feasible by any criteria, as well as event description text.
  5. The fast Filter feature permits you to change event log in an exceedingly few mouse clicks.

• OSForensics
It helps discover relevant forensic knowledge faster with high performance file searches and categorization moreover as restores deleted files. It identifies suspicious files and activity with hash matching, drive signature comparisons and appears into e-mails, memory and binary information. It conjointly manages digital investigation, organizes info and creates reports concerning collected rhetorical information.
• Helix3
Helix3 is a simple to use cyber security answer integrated into your network supplying you with visibility across your entire infrastructure revealing malicious activities like web Abuse, information sharing and harassment.
• Autopsy
Autopsy may be a digital forensics platform and graphical interface to The Sleuth Kit and different digital forensics tools. This tool helps incident handlers to look at the classification system, retrieve deleted information, perform timeline analysis, and net artifacts throughout an occurrence response.
• Encase rhetorical
Encase may be a multi-purpose rhetorical platform that features several helpful tools to support many areas of the digital rhetorical method. This tool will collect ton of information from several devices and extract potential proof. It conjointly generates an proof report. in close rhetorical will facilitate incident responders acquire massive amounts of proof, as quick as doable from laptops and desktop computers to mobile devices. in close rhetorical directly acquires the information and integrates the results into the cases.
• Foremost
Foremost may be a console program to recover files supported their headers, footers, and internal information structures. This method is often cited as information carving. Foremost will work on image files, like those generated by add, Safe back, and inclose or directly on a drive. The headers and footers are often specified by a configuration file otherwise you will use instruction switches to specify built- in file sorts. These inherent sorts consider the info structures of a given f ile format providing a additional reliable and quicker recovery.

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Leverage Threat Intelligence for increased Incident Response

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Threat intelligence plays a very important role in incident response method. Intelligence are often integrated into the incident response method, which might facilitate IR groups with needed resources to act against security incidents quickly. It helps in distinctive who/what may well be playacting Associate in Nursing attack, however it operates, what are the campaigns it’s a part of, and wherever else to go looking on the network.

Given below are the phases of step-up concerned within the incident response management:

Phase 1:Pre-planning

IR groups use follow check and situations to check the safety arrange. Strategic· and operational-level threat intelligence are often integrated during this side of incident response in varied ways that. With the utilization of CTI, security analysts will ascertain the answers to the subsequent questions:
• that hacker teams would target the organization and what are the explanations behind it?
• that are the various assets they’re ·targeting?
• What are the assorted capabilities that adversaries possess?
• What are the doable attack scenarios?

Pre-planning phases are often divided into 2 categories:

1. Incident Response

Operational threat intelligence are often employed in IR to develop threat situations. Threat intelligence are often accustomed determine TTPs utilized by Associate in Nursing resister to perform Associate in Nursing attack, which might any be translated into incident answered workflows. Therefore, if the network experiences a same style of attack, then the defenders would have needed tools, workflow, and procedure to safeguard the network.

2. Breach Response

Breach response is comparable to incident response however with only 1 difference; that’s, it manages risks related to the business. an inspiration to deal with business risks is developed by the panel involving CIO, CISO, risk management, PR/crisis management, counsel, and alternative stakeholders. They additionally take choices relating to what the communication would be to regulators, clients, consumers, and also the standard public. Operational and strategic threat intelligence are often integrated in breach response method by respondent the subsequent internal and external justification line of questions:

Internal justification:

• what’s the structure risk that this effort diminishes or provides a company a additional elaborate data on the ·risk?
• What are the assorted manual tasks that this effort helps in automating?
• What t is that the value that this effort reduces?
• What level of resources (labor Associate in Nursingd material) will this want perform an activity successfully?

External justification:

• What are the new tasks the safety team can have once Associate in Nursing implementation of an answer and what are the tasks that are already on the stir list for the team?
• What new data the team will use to figure on the far side what it already possesses?
• what’s the value of this new information?
• what’s the matter that this data is capable of solving?

Phase 2: Event

Operational and plan of action threat intelligence helps in providing context to the alerts
Generated by Associate in Nursing organization’s security mechanisms like SIEM, SOC, or alternative security tools. the kind of data enclosed during this intelligence is loCs like information
addresses,malware,compromised devices, domains, URLs, path, TTPs utilized by adversaries, and phishing messages or email This data are often accustomed verify an occasion that may intensify into a security incident.

Phase 3:Incident

An resister sets a footing within the victim’s network, then an occasion is understood to own escalated into a happening. once a happening has been taken place within the network, Operational threat intelligence are often utilized by the safety analysts to realize additional insight into the techniques, operations, actor’s objectives, and past incidents. Therefore, Operational threat intelligence helps get data regarding the threat mistreatment the threat triangle, which has data relating to threat actor’s capability, intent, and chance.

Phase 4: Breach

I to become essential for a company to report a happening once it escalates into a breach. this sort of situations sometimes takes place once knowledge extraction has occurred that the organization should report it to the stakeholders, clients, customers ,and workers. Therefore, a happening response defines however the organization responds internally, whereas breach response defines however the ·organization responds outwardly.

Strategic and operational threat intelligence plays a very important role within the analysis on a breach. This data helps in providing answers to the subsequent queries :
• What happened?
• however and what was the explanation behind incidence of the breach?
• What are the essential steps that require to be taken to avoid such a breach within the future?

Armed with context on seemingly adversaries we will go to intelligence gathering. This entails learning everything we will regarding doable and sure adversaries, identification probable behaviors, and determination that forms of defenses and controls be to deal with higher-probability attacks. Be realistic regarding what you’ll gather yourself and what intelligence you will got to get. Optimally you’ll devote some resources to gathering Associate in Nursing process intelligence on an current basis supported your organization’s desires, however you may seemingly got to supplement your resources with external knowledge sources.


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Definition of Cyber Threat Intelligence

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According to Oxford dictionary, a threat is defined as the possibility of a malicious attempt to damage or disrupt a computer network or system.” Threat is a potential occurrence of an undesired event t hat can eventually damage and interrupt the operational and functional activities of an organization. A threat can affect t he integrity and availability factors of an organization. The impact of threats is very high, and it can affect t he existence of the physical IT assets in an organization. The existence of threats may be accidental, intentional, or due to the impact of some other action.

T he threat intelligence, usually known as CTI, is defined as t he collection and analysis of information about threats and adversaries and drawing patterns t hat provide an ability to make knowledgeable decisions for the preparedness, prevent ion, and response actions against various cyber attacks. It is t he process of recognizing or discovering any “unknown threats” t hat an organization can face so t hat necessary defense mechanisms can be applied to avoid such occurrences. It involves collecting, researching, and analyzing trends and technical developments in t he field of cyber threats (i.e., cybercrime, hacktivism, espionage, etc.). Any knowledge about threats t hat result in the planning and decision- ma king in an organization to handle it is a threat Intelligence. T he main aim of t he CTI is to make the organization aware of t he existing or emerging threats and prepare them to develop a proactive cyber security posture in advance before these threats could exploit them. This process, where the unknown threats are converted into the possibly known ones, helps anticipating the attack before it could happen and ultimately results in better and secured system in the organization. Thus, threat Intelligence is useful in achieving secured data sharing and transactions among organizations globally.

Threat intelligence process can be used to identify t he risk factors t hat are responsible for malware attacks, SQL injections, we b application attacks, data leaks, phishing, denial-of-service attack, etc. Such risks, after being filtered out, can be put on a checklist and handled appropriately. Threat intelligence is beneficial for an organization 17to handle cyber threats with effective planning and execution along with thorough analysis of t he threat; it also strengthens the organization’s defense system, creates awareness about the impending risks, and aids in responding against such risks.

In cyber threat intelligence, analysis often hinges on the triad of actors, intent, and capability, with consideration given to their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), motivations, and access to the intended targets. By studying this triad it is often possible to make informed, forward-leaning strategic, operational, and tactical assessments.

Strategic intelligence assesses disparate bits of information to form integrated views. It informs decision and policy makers on broad or long-term issues and/or provides a timely warning of threats. Strategic cyber threat intelligence forms an overall picture of the intent and capabilities of malicious cyber threats, including the actors, tools, and TTPs, through the identification of trends, patterns, and emerging threats and risks, in order to inform decision and policy makers or to provide timely warnings.

Operational intelligence assesses specific, potential incidents related to events, investigations, and/or activities, and provides insights that can guide and support response operations. Operational or technical cyber threat intelligence provides highly specialized, technically-focused, intelligence to guide and support the response to specific incidents; such intelligence is often related to campaigns, malware, and/or tools, and may come in the form of forensic reports.

Tactical intelligence assesses real-time events, investigations, and/or activities, and provides day-to-day operational support. Tactical cyber threat intelligence provides support for day-to-day operations and events, such as the development of signatures and indicators of compromise (IOC). It often involves limited application of traditional intelligence analysis techniques.

Cyber threat intelligence has proved beneficial to every level of state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government entities from senior executives, such as Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), police chiefs, and policy makers, to those in the field, such as information technology specialists and law enforcement officers. In addition, it provides value for other experts as well, such as security officers, accountants, and terrorism and criminal analysts. Properly applied cyber threat intelligence can provide greater insight into cyber threats, allowing for a faster, more targeted response as well as resource development and allocation. For instance, it can assist decision makers in determining acceptable business risks, developing controls and budgets, in making equipment and staffing decisions (strategic intelligence), provide insights that guide and support incident response and post-incident activities (operational/technical intelligence), and advance the use of indicators by validating, prioritizing, specifying the length of time an indicator is valid (tactical intelligence). Over the next several years the inclusion of cyber threat intelligence into SLTT government operations will become increasingly important, as all levels and employees are forced to respond to the cyber threat.

In cyber threat intelligence, analysis often hinges on the triad of actors, intent, and capability, considerately given to their ways, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), motivations, and access to the supposed targets. By finding out this triad it’s usually possible to create informed, forward-leaning strategic, operational, and plan of action assessments.

• Strategic intelligence assesses disparate bits of data to make integrated views. It informs decision and policy manufacturers on broad or long-run problems and/or provides a timely warning of threats. Strategic cyber threat intelligence forms an overall image of the intent and capabilities of malicious cyber threats, as well as the actors, tools, and TTPs, through the identification of trends, patterns, and rising threats and risks, in order to inform decision and policy manufacturers or to produce timely warnings.

• Operational intelligence assesses specific, potential incidents related to events, investigations, and/or activities, and provides insights which will guide and support response operations. Operational or technical cyber threat intelligence provides extremely specialised, technically-focused, intelligence to guide and support the response to specific incidents; such intelligence is usually related to campaigns, malware, and/or tools, and will come in the form of forensic reports.

• Tactical intelligence assesses real-time events, investigations, and/or activities, and provides day-to-day operational support. tactical cyber threat intelligence provides support for daily operations and events, like the development of signatures and indicators of compromise (IOC). It usually involves limited application of ancient intelligence analysis techniques.

Cyber threat intelligence has established beneficial to each level of state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government entities from senior executives, like Chief data Security Officers (CISOs), police chiefs, and policy manufacturers, to those within the field, like data technology specialists and law enforcement officers. additionally, it provides price for alternative consultants yet, like security officers, accountants, and terrorist act and criminal analysts. Properly applied cyber threat intelligence will offer larger insight into cyber threats, granting a quicker, additional targeted response yet as resource development and allocation. as an example, it will assist decision manufacturers in determining acceptable business risks, developing controls and budgets, in creating equipment and staffing choices (strategic intelligence), offer insights that guide and support incident response and post-incident activities (operational/technical intelligence), and advance the use of indicators by verifying, prioritizing, specifying the length of your time an indicator is valid (tactical intelligence). Over future many years the inclusion of cyber threat intelligence into SLTT government operations can become increasingly important, as all levels and employees are forced to respond to the cyber threat