- 5th Feb 2024
- 20:42 pm
- Autopsy
Autopsy is a feature-rich open-source digital forensics application made for investigating and analysing data from a variety of sources, such as mobile devices, memory dumps, and hard drives.
Functionality: Autopsy's user-friendly interface makes it easy to find potential evidence, recover files, do keyword searches, and visualise data. It enables the production and examination of forensic images and supports several file systems.
Supporting Information: A committed group of developers actively maintains Autopsy, which is based on The Sleuth Kit. It is a well-liked option in the community of digital forensics because of its extensive capabilities and adaptable plugin architecture.
Web link : https://www.autopsy.com/
- Volatility:
Investigators can extract and examine volatile data from memory dumps using Volatility, a potent memory forensics framework.
Functionality: Volatility can provide details about active processes, network connections, registry entries, and malware artefacts that are stored in memory and is compatible with a wide range of operating systems.
Supporting Information: Volatility is an open-source project that is regularly updated to take advantage of the newest operating system updates and features. It is a useful tool for malware analysis and incident response in digital forensics investigations due to its capacity to examine memory dumps.
Web link: https://www.volatilityfoundation.org/
- ExifTool:
A command-line utility called ExifTool is used to read, write, and change information in a variety of file formats, including those for photos and documents.
Functionality: ExifTool's functionality allows it to extract useful metadata from files, including camera data, GPS coordinates, timestamps, and author information. By assisting in proving the provenance and legitimacy of information, this metadata can be vital in forensic investigations.
Supporting Information: ExifTool, created by Phil Harvey, is frequently updated and compatible with a variety of file types. It is a popular option for managing metadata analysis because of its adaptability and comprehensive documentation.
Web link: https://exiftool.org/
- TestDisk:
TestDisk is a flexible partition repair and data recovery app used in digital forensics to recover lost or deleted data from damaged storage media.
Functionality: TestDisk can repair boot sectors, analyze missing partitions, and recover deleted files from a variety of file systems.
Supporting Information: TestDisk is an open-source app that has a solid track record of efficiency and dependability in data recovery situations. It is often used in digital forensics investigations due to its cross-platform interoperability and simplicity of usage.
Web link: https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk
- Wireshark:
A well-known network protocol analyzer called Wireshark is used in digital forensics investigations to record and examine network data.
Functionality: Investigators can inspect packets, interpret protocols, and examine network behavior using Wireshark's functionalities. It aids in the detection of suspicious behavior, prospective invasions, and attempted data espionage.
Supporting Information: Wireshark is a well-known open-source project with a vibrant developer community. It is a crucial tool for network forensics because of its user-friendly graphical interface and broad protocol support.
Web link: https://www.wireshark.org/
- Foremost:
Foremost is a command-line tool used in digital forensics for file carving and data recovery. It specializes in removing file kinds from device partitions or disc images.
Functionality: Foremost employs file headers and footers to locate and extract important files from damaged or corrupted media. It is compatible with several file types, including multimedia, documents, and photos.
Supporting Information: Because Foremost is a quick and effective solution, it is perfect for situations where immediate data recovery is essential. Experts in digital forensics often choose it because of its simplicity and efficacy.
Web link: https://www.kali.org/tools/foremost/
- Bulk Extractor:
Bulk Extractor is a formidable command-line tool made to search disc images and file systems for potential artefacts and data relevant to digital forensics investigations.
Functionality: To assist in the discovery of evidence, Bulk Extractor can recognize and extract sensitive data from a variety of sources, including credit card numbers, URLs, and email addresses.
Supporting Information: Bulk Extractor is a useful tool for situations involving huge volumes of digital evidence because of its capacity to handle large datasets and process data quickly.
- Sleuth Kit (TSK):
The Sleuth Kit (TSK) is a group of command-line tools for incident response and digital forensics. It offers tools for deciphering disc images' evidence and analyzing file systems.
Functionality: TSK can inspect directory hierarchies, recover deleted files, and detect file properties like timestamps and ownership details. It also supports different file systems.
Supporting Information: The TSK framework, which serves as the basis for Autopsy, is well-established and regularly updated by a vibrant development community. It is an indispensable instrument in digital forensics investigations due to its dependability and adaptability.
Web link: https://www.sleuthkit.org/sleuthkit/
- VolDiff:
A command-line tool called VolDiff facilitates the comparison of memory dumps obtained at various times during a digital forensics' investigation.
Functionality: VolDiff emphasizes differences in memory dumps to assist investigators in identifying modifications to active processes, network connections, and system states that may point to the presence of malware or suspicious activity.
Supporting Information: Investigators can follow changes in volatile memory and gauge the development of a security issue using VolDiff, a crucial tool for memory forensics and incident response.
Web link: https://github.com/H2Cyber/VolDiff
- Scalpel:
Scalpel is a file carving tool used in digital forensics for data recovery. Based on established headers and footers, it is intended to extract specific file types.
Functionality: By examining the file structure and extracting recognizable file signatures, Scalpel can recover files even from damaged or corrupted media.
Supporting Information: Scalpel is a useful addition to any digital forensics toolset because it is effective, quick, and simple to use. Investigators can concentrate on gathering pertinent evidence because of its adaptability in recovering specific file formats.
Web link: https://www.kali.org/tools/scalpel/
- RegRipper:
RegRipper is a potent command-line app used in digital forensics investigations to analyze Windows Registry hives. Investigators can use it to extract and analyze useful data from the Registry, including user actions, system preferences, and installed apps.
Functionality: RegRipper supports several plugins that may parse and extract data from Registry keys, giving information about user login information, recently accessed files, network configurations, and more. Because it is expandable, analysts can build specialized plugins to meet specific research needs.
Supporting Information: RegRipper, created by Harlan Carvey, is a popular tool used by many people in the field of digital forensics. It is a crucial tool for Windows-based forensic investigations due to its effective Windows Registry parsing capabilities.
Web link: https://www.kali.org/tools/regripper/
- Rifiuti2:
Rifiuti2 is a command-line tool used in digital forensics investigations to parse and analyse Recycle Bin artefacts. Investigators can use it to retrieve important data from Recycle Bin metadata files, including file deletions and timestamps.
Functionality: Rifiuti2 can retrieve deleted files, including their original locations, deletion times, and user identities, and it supports several Recycle Bin formats.
Supporting Information: Rifiuti2, created by Foundstone, is a tool that is frequently used in digital forensics to recover deleted files and decipher user actions regarding file deletions.
Web link: https://www.kali.org/tools/rifiuti2/
- YARA:
YARA is a potent pattern-matching tool used in digital forensics to locate and classify data and processes in accordance with specified guidelines. For the analysis and detection of malware, it is especially helpful.
Functionality: YARA rules are binary and string patterns that can be used to recognize malware families, exploits, or suspicious files. To find signs of compromise, it can examine memory, disc images, and active processes.
Supporting Information: YARA is an open-source initiative with a vibrant contributor community. For digital forensics experts and incident responders, it is a useful tool due to its adaptability and efficiency in malware investigation.
Web link: https://virustotal.github.io/yara/
- Plaso (Log2timeline):
Plaso, also known as Log2timeline, is a potent tool used in digital forensics investigations for processing and correlating log data. It helps in reconstructing timelines and figuring out event sequences.
Functionality: Plaso can handle a wide range of log formats from various operating systems and applications. Investigators can create a timeline of events, learn about user activity, system changes, and potential security problems by analyzing log data.
Supporting Information: Due to its capacity to speed log analysis and offer a clear timeline perspective of events, Plaso is a widely used open-source project that is actively developed.
Web link: https://plaso.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
- TheHive:
TheHive is a collaborative incident response platform that is scalable and utilized in digital forensics investigations. It simplifies case administration, the exchange of evidence, and teamwork.
Functionality: Analysts can create and track cases, assign tasks, and link relevant artefacts using TheHive's web-based interface for managing security incidents. Cortex is only one of the technologies it interfaces with for automated reaction activities.
Supporting Information: TheHive is an open-source project that has become popular among digital forensics specialists and incident response teams. It is a useful tool for organizing complicated investigations due to its user-friendly interface and extensive features.
Web link: https://blog.thehive-project.org/tag/digital-forensics/
