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

Profiling user activities

HKCU is a registry hive in the Windows Registry that stores user-specific settings and configurations for the currently logged-in user. It contains preferences, user environment variables, application settings, and other data related to the user’s activities on the system.

During user profiling, analyzing the HKCU hive can provide insight into the user’s behavior, habits, and preferences. By examining the hive, forensic analysts can determine the applications used by the user, the files accessed, the network connections established, and the system settings modified.

The HKCU hive contains subkeys for various software applications that have been installed or configured for the user. The subkeys store settings and preferences specific to each application, which can help forensic analysts determine the activities of the user. For example, the RecentDocs subkey stores a list of recently accessed files, while the Run subkey stores a list of...