In order to perform digital forensics and attack attribution, analysts rely on a variety of sources of evidence or artifacts, including log files, system files, network traffic, and memory dumps. It is important that this evidence is preserved and handled properly in order to maintain the integrity of the evidence and ensure that it is admissible in legal proceedings. This requires following a strict chain of custody, where evidence is collected, stored, and analyzed in a manner that ensures its authenticity and reliability.
In summary, digital forensics and attack attribution are critical processes for investigating cybercrime and security incidents. By using frameworks such as the Cyber Kill Chain, MITRE ATT&CK Matrix, and Diamond Model, and analyzing sources of evidence or artifacts, analysts can gain insight into an attacker's motivations, capabilities, and tactics. Proper evidence handling and preservation is critical to ensure the integrity of evidence and its admissibility in legal proceedings.
3. Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP):
Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP): Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) are terms commonly used in the field of cybersecurity and intelligence to describe the methods and approaches employed by threat actors to conduct attacks. Here's an explanation of each component:
Tactics: Tactics refer to the high-level strategies or objectives that threat actors adopt to achieve their goals. For example, tactics could include gaining unauthorized access, stealing sensitive data, or disrupting critical services.
Techniques: Techniques represent the specific methods or procedures used by threat actors to carry out their tactics. These techniques can vary widely and encompass various attack vectors, tools, and malicious activities. Examples of techniques include social engineering, malware injection, brute-force attacks, and SQL injection.
Procedures: Procedures are the step-by-step processes followed by threat actors to execute their techniques. They outline the sequence of actions taken during an attack, including reconnaissance, initial access, lateral movement, privilege escalation, data exfiltration, and covering tracks.
Understanding TTPs is crucial for cybersecurity professionals and organizations to develop effective defense strategies and implement appropriate security controls. By studying and analyzing known TTPs, security teams can better detect, prevent, and respond to attacks.
4. Sources of Evidence (Artifacts): In the context of digital forensics and incident response, sources of evidence, also known as artifacts, refer to the traces and information left behind by an attacker or a system during an incident. These artifacts provide valuable insights into the nature of an attack, the actions performed by the attacker, and the potential impact on the compromised systems. Some common sources of evidence include:
Log files: System logs, application logs, event logs, and network logs can provide a wealth of information about activities and events that occurred on a system or network.
File system artifacts: File system metadata, file timestamps, file permissions, and file contents can be examined to understand file manipulation, access, and potentially malicious activities.
Network traffic: Captured network traffic, such as packet captures or network flow data, can reveal communication patterns, data exfiltration, and the presence of malicious connections or payloads.
Memory artifacts: Memory dumps or snapshots can be analyzed to identify running processes, injected code, and other runtime artifacts left behind by malware or attacker activity.
Registry entries: The Windows Registry contains configuration settings and other information that can provide insights into system changes, installed software, and potential indicators of compromise.
Artifacts from malware: Malware samples, payloads, command-and-control communication artifacts, and indicators of compromise (IOCs) can be analyzed to understand the behavior and impact of specific malicious software.
Forensic investigators and incident responders rely on these artifacts to reconstruct the timeline of events, identify the attack vector, determine the extent of the compromise, and gather evidence for legal proceedings, if necessary. Proper preservation, collection, and analysis of artifacts are crucial to maintain the integrity of the evidence and ensure accurate findings during investigations.
