Book Image

Learning Network Forensics

By : Samir Datt
Book Image

Learning Network Forensics

By: Samir Datt

Overview of this book

We live in a highly networked world. Every digital device—phone, tablet, or computer is connected to each other, in one way or another. In this new age of connected networks, there is network crime. Network forensics is the brave new frontier of digital investigation and information security professionals to extend their abilities to catch miscreants on the network. The book starts with an introduction to the world of network forensics and investigations. You will begin by getting an understanding of how to gather both physical and virtual evidence, intercepting and analyzing network data, wireless data packets, investigating intrusions, and so on. You will further explore the technology, tools, and investigating methods using malware forensics, network tunneling, and behaviors. By the end of the book, you will gain a complete understanding of how to successfully close a case.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
Learning Network Forensics
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Chapter 8. Smuggling Forbidden Protocols – Network Tunneling

 

"Tunnels have been the refuge of many a smuggler!"

 
 --Samir Datt

In the good old days (and even now), smugglers would need to ship foreign contraband (unauthorized products) across the borders without the border security forces or coast guard finding out. To do this, tunnels were commonly used.

The network world has startling similarities when it comes to shipping unsupported and unauthorized protocols across the network borders. This is done by the means of tunneling. In a nutshell, what a tunnel involves is encapsulating the unsupported (or unauthorized) protocol in the data portion of the IP datagram and then using the IP protocol to send it. Tunneling protocols work mostly at the fourth layer of the OSI model. This means that they replace protocols such as TCP or UDP.

Virtual private networks, or VPNs in short, completely depend on tunneling for their functioning. This chapter will cover the VPN tunnels and functional, confidential...