Network Forensics Methodology

Network Forensics Methodology

Network Forensics Overview

Network forensics investigates security incidents by capturing and analyzing network traffic. Network forensics reveals attack vectors, lateral movement, data exfiltration, and attacker communications providing crucial evidence for investigations.

Network Forensics

Evidence Collection

Capture network traffic using full packet capture, NetFlow/IPFIX for metadata, firewall logs, IDS/IPS alerts, and DNS logs. Implement continuous packet capture or triggered capture for suspicious activities maintaining chain of custody.

Analysis Techniques

Analyze traffic using protocol analysis, flow analysis, statistical analysis, timeline reconstruction, and malware traffic analysis. Tools include Wireshark, NetworkMiner, Zeek, and specialized forensic platforms.

Investigation Process

Define investigation scope, collect relevant traffic, filter and reduce dataset, analyze communications, identify indicators of compromise, reconstruct attack timeline, extract artifacts, and document findings with evidence preservation.

Legal Considerations

Maintain chain of custody, ensure legally compliant collection, preserve evidence integrity using hashing, document all actions, consider privacy regulations, and prepare evidence for potential legal proceedings.

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