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Mastering Python Forensics
Mastering Python Forensics

Mastering Python Forensics: Master the art of digital forensics and analysis with Python

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Mastering Python Forensics

Chapter 2. Forensic Algorithms

Forensic algorithms are the building blocks for a forensic investigator. Independent from any specific implementation, these algorithms describe the details of the forensic procedures. In the first section of this chapter, we will introduce the different algorithms that are used in forensic investigations, including their advantages and disadvantages.

Algorithms

In this section, we describe the main differences between MD5, SHA256, and SSDEEP—the most common algorithms used in the forensic investigations. We will explain the use cases as well as the limitations and threats behind these three algorithms. This should help you understand why using SHA256 is better than using MD5 and in which cases SSDEEP can help you in the investigation.

Before we dive into the different hash functions, we will give a short summary of what a cryptographic hash function is.

A hash function is a function that maps an arbitrarily large amount of data to a value of a fixed length. The hash function ensures that the same input always results in the same output, called the hash sum. Consequently, a hash sum is a characteristic of a specific piece of data.

A cryptographic hash function is a hash function that is considered practically impossible to invert. This means that it is not possible to create the input data while having a pre-defined hash sum value...

Supporting the chain of custody

The outcomes of forensic investigations can have a severe impact on organizations and individuals. Depending on your field of work, your investigation can become evidence in the court.

Consequently, the integrity of forensic evidence has to be ensured not just when collecting the evidence, but also throughout the entire handling and analysis. Usually, the very first step in a forensic investigation is gathering the evidence. Normally, this is done using a bitwise copy of the original media. All the subsequent analysis is performed on this forensic copy.

Creating hash sums of full disk images

To ensure that a forensic copy is actually identical to the original media, hash sums of the media and from the forensic copy are made. These hash sums must match to prove that the copy is exactly like the original data. Nowadays, it has become common to use at least two different cryptographic hash algorithms to minimize the risk of hash collisions and harden the overall...

Real-world scenarios

This section will demonstrate some use cases where the preceding algorithms and techniques are used to support the investigator. For this chapter, we use two very common and interesting examples, Mobile Malware and the National Software Reference Library (NSRL).

Mobile Malware

In this example, we will check the installed applications on an Android smartphone against an online analysis system, Mobile-Sandbox. Mobile-Sandbox is a website that provides free Android files checking for viruses or suspicious behavior, http://www.mobilesandbox.org. It is connected to VirusTotal, which uses up to 56 different antivirus products and scan engines to check for viruses that the user's antivirus solution may have missed or verify against any false positives. Additionally, Mobile-Sandbox uses custom techniques to detect applications that act potentially malicious. Antivirus software vendors, developers, and researchers behind Mobile-Sandbox can receive copies of the files to help...

Summary

This chapter provided an overview of the domains of the forensic and example algorithms for each of these domains. We also showed you how to compare applications installed on an Android device with web services such as Mobile-Sandbox. In the second real-world example, we demonstrated how to sort out benign and known files from a Windows system to reduce the amount of data that is to be analyzed manually. With NSRLquery, the forensic investigations can focus on new or modified content and do not need to waste time on the widely known content of standard applications.

In the following chapters, these algorithms will be applied to a selection of device types, operating systems, and applications for use during forensic investigation.

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Key benefits

  • Learn to perform forensic analysis and investigations with the help of Python, and gain an advanced understanding of the various Python libraries and frameworks
  • Analyze Python scripts to extract metadata and investigate forensic artifacts
  • The writers, Dr. Michael Spreitzenbarth and Dr. Johann Uhrmann, have used their experience to craft this hands-on guide to using Python for forensic analysis and investigations

Description

Digital forensic analysis is the process of examining and extracting data digitally and examining it. Python has the combination of power, expressiveness, and ease of use that makes it an essential complementary tool to the traditional, off-the-shelf digital forensic tools. This book will teach you how to perform forensic analysis and investigations by exploring the capabilities of various Python libraries. The book starts by explaining the building blocks of the Python programming language, especially ctypes in-depth, along with how to automate typical tasks in file system analysis, common correlation tasks to discover anomalies, as well as templates for investigations. Next, we’ll show you cryptographic algorithms that can be used during forensic investigations to check for known files or to compare suspicious files with online services such as VirusTotal or Mobile-Sandbox. Moving on, you’ll learn how to sniff on the network, generate and analyze network flows, and perform log correlation with the help of Python scripts and tools. You’ll get to know about the concepts of virtualization and how virtualization influences IT forensics, and you’ll discover how to perform forensic analysis of a jailbroken/rooted mobile device that is based on iOS or Android. Finally, the book teaches you how to analyze volatile memory and search for known malware samples based on YARA rules.

Who is this book for?

If you are a network security professional or forensics analyst who wants to gain a deeper understanding of performing forensic analysis with Python, then this book is for you. Some Python experience would be helpful.

What you will learn

  • Explore the forensic analysis of different platforms such as Windows, Android, and vSphere
  • Semi-automatically reconstruct major parts of the system activity and time-line
  • Leverage Python ctypes for protocol decoding
  • Examine artifacts from mobile, Skype, and browsers
  • Discover how to utilize Python to improve the focus of your analysis
  • Investigate in volatile memory with the help of volatility on the Android and Linux platforms
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Length: 192 pages
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Table of Contents

8 Chapters
1. Setting Up the Lab and Introduction to Python ctypes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Forensic Algorithms Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Using Python for Windows and Linux Forensics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Using Python for Network Forensics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Using Python for Virtualization Forensics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Using Python for Mobile Forensics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Using Python for Memory Forensics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.4
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Yves Vandermeer Dec 14, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I enjoyed to link the topics covered using fully python scripting oriented approach developed in this book.However, you already need to have experience in computer forensics and understand main concepts to be able to implement provided methods. Python learning curve is outstanding fast and most of the readers will be able to address common forensics, including mobile forensics cases by only applying provided scripts and referenced libraries.As for all python books, tutorials and available code, the reader will have to, when feeling confortable with provided code, adapt the code to his own needs. Now that The Sleuthkit provides python modules, and with help of the covered C-types, forensics practitioners will have a real added value toolset to solve ad-hoc challenges.
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Denver Water - Dawson Mar 04, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Wonderful published book. Great vendor!!
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ruben Dec 26, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
The book starts by explaining the building blocks of the Python programming language, especially ctypes in-depth, along with how to automate typical tasks in file system analysis, common correlation tasks to discover anomalies, as well as templates for investigations. Next, we’ll show you cryptographic algorithms that can be used during forensic investigations to check for known files or to compare suspicious files with online services such as VirusTotal or Mobile-Sandbox.I have seen this book very interesting, and never seens it before, with this title helprs to comprenhen the main thing this Python Forensics.We can develop many things with this kind of information that I can have with this book. in may area I can apply these all kind of topics in networking areas.Ruben.
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SuJo Dec 25, 2015
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This book covers a lot of various topics when it comes to forensics, most importantly it covers mobile forensics which is something that is going to increase over time as phones become more robust. I'm very happy with the purchase and right now packt has a $5 book sale on all of their titles which makes it a no brainier, so head over to their main site for your purchase if you're buying this book right now. My favorite part about the book was sniffing network traffic, and I felt the YARA rules were covered quite well.While I agree with other reviews that you'll not master everything related to Python Forensics; however you will have a solid understanding and foundation to build upon.
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Perry Nally Dec 27, 2015
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If you need to know details about processes and how to extract data from hard drives or mobile devices this is the book for you. Though the Android tutorial uses Android 4.4.4 you can still use the walk through using the latest version. This is a useful book with a lot of great information and python scripts. He also tells you how to setup you environment in order to perform the data acquisitions and analysis to obtain sensitive data. Everyone dealing in digital forensics should read this book and have it as a reference manual. Great job!
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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