Memory forensics is a vital component of modern digital investigations, providing access to volatile data that reveals a system’s live state at the moment it was captured. Unlike traditional disk analysis, memory forensics allows analysts to examine active processes, network activity, user interactions, and artifacts that may not leave a permanent trace on disk. This lab challenges you to delve into a memory image acquired from a Windows machine and piece together critical evidence to reconstruct user activity and potential malicious behavior.
In this walkthrough, we leverage the powerful Volatility3 framework to dissect the memory image. As one of the leading tools for memory analysis, Volatility3 offers a robust set of plugins to investigate processes, registry data, and network connections, among other artifacts. Complementing this, tools such as hex editors and registry analysis enhance our ability to identify and interpret hidden evidence. Together, these tools will guide you through extracting and interpreting key information to build a timeline of events.
Your role as an investigator in this lab is to carefully analyze the memory image and uncover critical details about the system’s activity. The lab is designed to sharpen your skills in areas such as process analysis, identifying network connections, tracking application usage, and extracting meaningful registry data. Each question builds on the previous one, deepening your understanding of memory forensics and guiding you through practical techniques for uncovering evidence.
By the end of this lab, you will have gained hands-on experience in