Defeating Anti-forensics Techniques Flashcards
Anti-forensics
also known as counter forensics, is a set of techniques that attackers use in order to sidetrack the forensic investigation process. These techniques are designed to negatively impact the quantity and quality of evidence gathered from a crime scene.
What happens when you delete a file out of a FAT file system
The OS replaces the first letter of a deleted file name with a hex byte code: E5h (E5h is a special tag that indicates that the file has been deleted)
The corresponding cluster of that file in FAT is marked as unused, although it will continue to contain the information until it is overwritten
What happens when you delete a file out of a NTFS file system
When a user deletes a file, the OS marks the file as deleted in the master file table (MFT)
The clusters allocated to the deleted file are marked as free in the $BitMap ($BitMap file is a record of all used and unused clusters)
The computer now notices those empty clusters and avails that space for storing a new file
The deleted file can be recovered if the space is not allocated to any other file
Deleted files in older FAT file system (Windows 98 and prior) are stored in?
Drive:\RECYCLED
Deleted files for NTFS file system (Windows 2000, XP, NT) these are stored in?
Drive:\RECYCLER folder
Deleted Files for Windows Vista and newer systems?
C:$Recycle.Bin
What is the Recycle bin limit for Win Vista and later?
No Limit
What is the Recycling bin limit for systems prior to Win Vista?
3.99 GB
What does Windows Vista and later OS’s rename the files stored in the Recycle Bin?
$Ry.ext
What do systems prior to Windows Vista rename the files stored in the Recycle Bin?
Dxy.ext
What does the x and y represent for the renaming of files in the recycle bin?
In this naming process, “x” represents the drive name, “y” a sequential number starting from 0, and “.ext” being the original file’s extension such as .doc,
.docx, .pdf, etc.
Where does the OS store details about deleted files?
Infor or Info2 hidden folder
What do you do if the Recycle bin stops working?
If the Recycle Bin is not working or damaged, then delete the hidden INFO file from the Recycled folder and restart Windows to re-create the INFO file; this will enable you to access the deleted files in the Recycle Bin.
MAC OS X File Recovery
- Files move to trash folder if you delete them.
- If Shift+delete is used, you bypass trash, but files can still be recovered using local or forensic tools such as TIMEMACHINE or REMO Recover or MacKeeper
Linux File Recovery
- Files deleted using /bin/rm remain on the disk, and are recoverable.
- If an executable is deleted, its contents can be retrieved from
/proc memory image; the command “cp /proc/$PID/exe
/tmp/file”
This creates a copy of a file in /tmp
What do you do when a HD partition is deleted?
- When a hard drive partition is deleted, what really happens is that the parameters that specify how the partition is setup are deleted, but the data stays intact and is waiting on you to recover it!!
Partition Recovery in Windows
- Recovery console through the install media
- Remove HD from source machine, mount it as a slave in another machine
- Use third-party recovery software
What are the 3 password types?
- Cleartext
- Obfuscated
- Hashed
Password Attack Categories
- Passive on-line
a. Wire sniffing
b. Man-in-the-Middle (MitM)
c. Replay - Active on-line
a. Guessing
b. Malware
c. Hash Injection - Offline
a. Pre-computed/Rainbow Tables - http://projectrainbowcrack.com/table.htm
b. Distributed Network (grids !!) - Non-electronic
a. Shoulder surfing
b. Dumpster diving
How are Hashed Passwords Stored in the Windows SAM file?
The SAM file is stored at %SystemRoot%/system32/config/SAM in Windows systems, and Windows mounts it in the registry under the HKLM/SAM registry hive. It stores LM or NTLM hashed passwords.
What is Steganography?
Steganography is a technique of hiding a secret message within an ordinary message and extracting it at the destination to maintain confidentiality of data
Substitution Steganography
substitutes redundant part of the cover object with a secret message
Transform Steganography
embed secret message in a transform space of the signal (e.g. in the frequency domain)
Statistical Steganography
embed messages by altering statistical properties of the cover objects and use hypothesis methods for extraction
Distortion Steganography
Store information by signal distortion and in the extraction step measure the deviation from the original cover
Cover Generation Steganography
Encode information that ensures creation of cover for secret communication