Linux Forensics

Linux Forensics is the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource for those wishing to quickly and efficiently perform forensics on Linux systems. It is also a great asset for anyone that would like to better understand Linux internals.

Linux Forensics will guide you step by step through the process of investigating a computer running Linux. Everything you need to know from the moment you receive the call from someone who thinks they have been attacked until the final report is written is covered in this book. All of the tools discussed in this book are free and most are also open source.

Dr. Philip Polstra shows how to leverage numerous tools such as Python, shell scripting, and MySQL to quickly, easily, and accurately analyze Linux systems. While readers will have a strong grasp of Python and shell scripting by the time they complete this book, no prior knowledge of either of these scripting languages is assumed. Linux Forensics begins by showing you how to determine if there was an incident with minimally invasive techniques. Once it appears likely that an incident has occurred, Dr. Polstra shows you how to collect data from a live system before shutting it down for the creation of filesystem images.

Linux Forensics contains extensive coverage of Linux ext2, ext3, and ext4 filesystems. A large collection of Python and shell scripts for creating, mounting, and analyzing filesystem images are presented in this book. Dr. Polstra introduces readers to the exciting new field of memory analysis using the Volatility framework. Discussions of advanced attacks and malware analysis round out the book.

Book Highlights

370 pages in large, easy-to-read 8.5 x 11 inch format
Over 9000 lines of Python scripts with explanations
Over 800 lines of shell scripts with explanations
A 102 page chapter containing up-to-date information on the ext4 filesystem
Two scenarios described in detail with images available from the book website
All scripts and other support files are available from the book website
Chapter Contents

First Steps
General Principles
Phases of Investigation
High-level Process
Building a Toolkit
Determining If There Was an Incident
Opening a Case
Talking to Users
Documenation
Mounting Known-good Binaries
Minimizing Disturbance to the Subject
Automation With Scripting
Live Analysis
Getting Metadata
Using Spreadsheets
Getting Command Histories
Getting Logs
Using Hashes
Dumping RAM
Creating Images
Shutting Down the System
Image Formats
DD
DCFLDD
Write Blocking
Imaging Virtual Machines
Imaging Physical Drives
Mounting Images
Master Boot Record Based Partions
GUID Partition Tables
Mounting Partitions In Linux
Automating With Python
Analyzing Mounted Images
Getting Timestamps
Using LibreOffice
Using MySQL
Creating Timelines
Extended Filesystems
Basics
Superblocks
Features
Using Python
Finding Things That Are Out Of Place
Inodes
Journaling
Memory Analysis
Volatility
Creating Profiles
Linux Commands
Dealing With More Advanced Attackers
Malware
Is It Malware?
Malware Analysis Tools
Static Analysis
Dynamic Analysis
Obfuscation
The Road Ahead
Learning More
Communities
Conferences
Certifications