The growth in networking activity, connectivity, and complexity has been accompanied by increasing criminal activities conducted within the networks. Therefore, forcing both law enforcement and enterprises to undertake specialized investigations. However, making sense of fragile digital data inside the network can become a very complex and difficult task if one is not aware or specialized in network forensics.In this article, we will discuss network forensics, different steps involved in examining network forensics, different tools available for network forensics, and the difference between computer forensics and network forensics.
Network forensics analyzes the network traffic and monitors data packets transferred over the internet for intrusion and malware detection. It involves collecting and recording data, analyzing the issue, determining the best troubleshooting response, and implementing it.Network forensics experts collect data from different websites and network equipment, including intrusion detection systems (IDS) and firewalls, to analyze network traffic data. Moreover, network forensics can also be used for monitoring, preventing, and analyzing potential attacks.
Threat intelligence feeds are real-time streams of data that provide information on potential cyber threats and risks.
Feeds are usually made up of simple indicators or artifacts, and individual feeds usually focus on a single area of interest. For example, a feed might present a stream of information on:
With the information provided by these feeds, you might choose to blacklist communications and connection requests originating from malicious sources, for example.
When threat feeds are free, it almost always means that they’re gathered solely from open sources. Paid feeds should generally provide more unique data, like data gathered from closed sources such as marketplaces on the criminal underground. But some paid feeds are just aggregations of open source feeds — don’t waste your money unless you don’t have any time to do the curation yourself.
In short, threat intelligence data feeds provide an easy way to get a quick, real-time look at the external threat landscape. This is good when you can make sense out of that information and take action on it — but if you can’t, then it’s just more data, which can threaten to overwhelm analysts who are already burdened with countless daily alerts and notifications.
Network Forensics Examination StepsThe following are the seven different steps involved in the network forensics examination.