Book Image

Windows Forensics Analyst Field Guide

By : Muhiballah Mohammed
5 (1)
Book Image

Windows Forensics Analyst Field Guide

5 (1)
By: Muhiballah Mohammed

Overview of this book

In this digitally driven era, safeguarding against relentless cyber threats is non-negotiable. This guide will enable you to enhance your skills as a digital forensic examiner by introducing you to cyber challenges that besiege modern entities. It will help you to understand the indispensable role adept digital forensic experts play in preventing these threats and equip you with proactive tools to defend against ever-evolving cyber onslaughts. The book begins by unveiling the intricacies of Windows operating systems and their foundational forensic artifacts, helping you master the art of streamlined investigative processes. From harnessing opensource tools for artifact collection to delving into advanced analysis, you’ll develop the skills needed to excel as a seasoned forensic examiner. As you advance, you’ll be able to effortlessly amass and dissect evidence to pinpoint the crux of issues. You’ll also delve into memory forensics tailored for Windows OS, decipher patterns within user data, and log and untangle intricate artifacts such as emails and browser data. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to robustly counter computer intrusions and breaches, untangle digital complexities with unwavering assurance, and stride confidently in the realm of digital forensics.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)
1
Part 1:Windows OS Forensics and Lab Preparation
7
Part 2:Windows OS Additional Artifacts

User registry hives

In the Windows Registry, user hives are specific to each user profile and contain settings and configurations for the user’s environment. When a user logs on to a Windows system, the operating system loads the user’s hive into the system registry. This hive contains a variety of data related to the user’s specific settings and preferences, including desktop backgrounds, display settings, login credentials, application settings, and more.

There are two main user hives in the Windows Registry: HKCU and HKU. The HKCU hive contains information specific to the currently logged-in user, while the HKU hive contains information for all user profiles on the system.

The HKU hive contains subkeys for each user profile on the system, identified by a SID. These subkeys contain user-specific settings and configurations, including the same subkeys found in the HKCU hive.

Let’s explore these additional system hives, which contain a tremendous...