With the ever-changing nature of technology, criminal activities are gradually expanding into the digital realm, and the concept of “on-site evidence collection” or “on-site investigation” has evolved, giving rise to the cutting-edge field of “live forensics”. This article will take you in-depth understanding of the mystery of live forensics, to explore how it is in the digital world to track down criminals.
Key Features of Live Forensics
Live forensics, directly means “online or real-time forensics”, refers to the process of evidence collection and analysis in the target system is still running state. Live forensics is a branch of computer forensics, focusing on the collection and analysis of potential electronic evidence in the target system is actively running. It includes examining memory (RAM), running processes, network connections, temporary files, and system logs to reveal patterns of attacker behavior or records of user activity.
- Immediacy: The ability to capture real-time activity traces by acquiring data immediately while the system is running.
- Dynamic: Analyzes running processes, network connections, and memory states to obtain the most vivid information.
- Non-destructive: Minimize the impact on the system state and avoid altering or destroying critical evidence.
- Challenging: Extreme caution is required to prevent evidence from being tampered with or system stability from being compromised.
Live Forensics vs. Dead Forensics
Unlike traditional “Dead forensics” (Offline forensics), live forensics does not rely on static analysis of a shutdown hard drive, but instead acquires data directly from the operating system while it is running, capturing transient evidence that may have disappeared with the system shutdown.
Live Forensics or Dead Forensics? How Do Investigators Choose
The choice of whether to use live forensics depends on the specifics of the case and the goals of the investigation. The following are some key factors that can help determine whether the live forensics approach should be used.
First, consider the transient nature of evidence. Live forensics is especially important if the case involves evidence (e.g., data in memory, instant messaging logs, temporary files) that may quickly disappear or be overwritten after a system shutdown. For example, when investigating malware activity or network intrusions, memory analysis can capture runtime malicious code and network connection information.
System availability is also evaluated when making a decision. If the target system must remain online, such as a server or business-critical system that cannot withstand the operational impact of being offline for an extended period of time, live forensics provides a way to collect evidence without disrupting the normal operation of the system.
According to emergency response needs. When faced with ongoing criminal activity, such as an ongoing cyberattack, data breach, or child pornography distribution, and immediate action is needed to stop the crime and collect evidence, the immediacy of live forensics can quickly pinpoint suspects and minimize damage.
At last, whether an investigator chooses live forensics will depend on the needs of data integrity and the chain of evidence. While live forensics strives to be non-destructive, in some cases, the original state of the data may be compromised due to the dynamic nature of the system’s operation. Therefore, if data integrity is critical, the pros and cons of using live forensics need to be weighed, or combined with dead forensics (offline forensics) to ensure the evidence is admissible in court.
[Highly Recommended] Live Forensics Tools
Live forensics focuses on collecting and analyzing electronic evidence while the target system is running to capture transient data that may be lost as the system shuts down. The following are some of the real-time forensics tools for digital forensics:
1. Volatility
Volatility is an open source memory forensics framework that extracts a wide variety of information from memory dumps, including but not limited to process lists, network connections, passwords, malware traces, and more. It is one of the most commonly used tools in real-time forensics, supporting Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and other operating systems.
2. F-Response
F-Response is a remote forensics tool that allows investigators to access and collect data on a target system in real time over the network without physically touching the target hardware. It supports remote forensics on hard disks, memory, and various network storage devices.
3. Helix3
Helix (now commonly referred to as SANS SIFT Workstation or SIFT Kit) is a Linux-based on-site investigation and forensics platform that includes a series of pre-installed forensic tools to support on-site or near-real-time data collection and analysis on target systems.
4. GRR Rapid Response
GRR is an open source remote real-time forensics and incident response framework designed for large-scale networks. It allows investigators to deploy investigative tasks to remote systems to collect logs, documents and other evidence , support for Windows, Linux, macOS systems.
5. Redline
Redline is a free tool developed by Mandiant for memory forensics and host investigations. It collects and analyzes the memory of the target system as well as key system information to help identify malicious activity.
6. Scalpel
Although Scalpel is primarily a data recovery tool, its ability to find and recover deleted or hidden files also makes it a useful tool for recovering transient or deleted evidence in digital forensics.
7. Osiris
Osiris is another memory forensics tool designed for Windows systems that can extract processes, network connections, driver information, etc. in memory, which is useful for analyzing the system state in real time.
How Does Live Forensics Apply in Current Investigations
Live Forensics plays an extremely critical role in modern crime scene investigation, especially in cases involving digital evidence. Its application covers a number of case types, the following is an overview of some of the main application case types and related cases:
1. Cybercrime
Including cyber fraud, identity theft, cyber invasion of privacy, illegal intrusion, etc. Live Forensics is able to quickly locate active network connections, trace IP addresses, analyze network traffic, interrupt criminal acts and collect key evidence in a timely manner.
Case: In an investigation of online fraud targeting the elderly, law enforcement authorities used live forensics to quickly access the servers of fraudulent websites, monitor login activities and fund flows in real time. Finally, they successfully tracked down the locations of members of the fraud group, and freeze a large amount of stolen funds in a timely manner.
2. Internal Data Leakage
Sensitive data within an enterprise or organization is illegally accessed or leaked. Real-time forensics can help quickly lock the suspect’s computer, monitor its current file operations, email exchanges and instant messaging to prevent further data loss.
Case: The core code of a major technology company was leaked. By deploying live forensics, the investigation team discovered an employee was sending data out through a hidden channel. By monitoring his computer activity in real time, not only was more data flow prevented, but enough evidence was gathered to take legal action.
3. Ransomware Attack
When a system is attacked by ransomware, live forensics can monitor the behavioral patterns of the malware in real time, track the flow of encrypted files and possible command and control server communications to provide clues for decrypting data and blocking attacks.
Case: A hospital was hit by a ransomware attack. The IT security team immediately launched the live forensics program to analyze the malware’s behavior, identify the type of encryption algorithm, and find a connection to the attacker’s control server by monitoring network traffic. Live forensics helped lay the groundwork for subsequent decryption efforts and prevent secondary attacks.
These cases demonstrate the powerful role of live forensics in modern crime investigation, especially when dealing with fast-changing digital crime scenes. It can effectively help investigators capture evidence and react quickly, so as to protect victims’ rights and interests and combat criminal activities.
Conclusion
To summarize, live forensics, as an efficient and dynamic forensic technology, plays an irreplaceable role in the fight against increasingly complex digital crimes, and provides a strong support for the maintenance of network security and judicial justice.