Book Image

Cloud Forensics Demystified

By : Ganesh Ramakrishnan, Mansoor Haqanee
Book Image

Cloud Forensics Demystified

By: Ganesh Ramakrishnan, Mansoor Haqanee

Overview of this book

As organizations embrace cloud-centric environments, it becomes imperative for security professionals to master the skills of effective cloud investigation. Cloud Forensics Demystified addresses this pressing need, explaining how to use cloud-native tools and logs together with traditional digital forensic techniques for a thorough cloud investigation. The book begins by giving you an overview of cloud services, followed by a detailed exploration of the tools and techniques used to investigate popular cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Progressing through the chapters, you’ll learn how to investigate Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and containerized environments such as Kubernetes. Throughout, the chapters emphasize the significance of the cloud, explaining which tools and logs need to be enabled for investigative purposes and demonstrating how to integrate them with traditional digital forensic tools and techniques to respond to cloud security incidents. By the end of this book, you’ll be well-equipped to handle security breaches in cloud-based environments and have a comprehensive understanding of the essential cloud-based logs vital to your investigations. This knowledge will enable you to swiftly acquire and scrutinize artifacts of interest in cloud security incidents.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Part 1: Cloud Fundamentals
6
Part 2: Forensic Readiness: Tools, Techniques, and Preparation for Cloud Forensics
10
Part 3: Cloud Forensic Analysis – Responding to an Incident in the Cloud

Digital forensics challenges

The cloud has brought significant benefits to organizations, including increased flexibility, scalability, and cost savings. However, it has also introduced new challenges when it comes to eDiscovery and forensics. Outlined in the following list are some of the common challenges an investigator could encounter. Each cloud forensic case may present a unique challenge; however, these are some of the common themes:

  • Data complexity and volume: The cloud provides organizations with virtually unlimited storage capacity, which means that the amount of data that needs to be searched, collected, and analyzed during eDiscovery and forensic investigations can be overwhelming.
  • Data security: CSPs are responsible for securing the data stored in their systems, but organizations also have a responsibility to ensure that their data is protected during eDiscovery and forensic investigations. This can be particularly challenging in multi-tenant cloud environments...