SANS FOR500 GCFE Windows Forensic Analysis
 
The primary challenge facing all organizations today is the looming threat of cybercrime targeting computer systems and corporate networks. Analysts capable of investigating various crimes, from fraud and insider threats to industrial espionage and computer intrusions, are in high demand. Corporations, governments, and law enforcement agencies alike are increasingly reliant on trained forensics specialists to conduct investigations, extract critical intelligence from Windows systems, and ultimately uncover the root cause of criminal activities. To address this vital need, SANS has developed a rigorous training program to nurture a new generation of top-tier digital forensic professionals, incident responders, and media exploitation experts adept at reconstructing intricate digital crime scenes.

FOR500: Windows Forensic Analysis is tailored to provide an in-depth understanding of digital forensics within Microsoft Windows operating environments. Comprehensive knowledge of forensic capabilities and available artifacts is fundamental to adequate information security; hence, this course delves into techniques for recovering, analyzing, and validating forensic data on Windows systems. Participants will learn to track individual user activity across networks, organize findings for use in incident response and internal investigations, and gather evidence for civil or criminal litigation. With this expertise, analysts can validate security tools, fortify vulnerability assessments, identify insider threats, track hackers, and enhance security protocols. Unbeknownst to many, Windows systems clandestinely log an astonishing volume of data about users and their activities. FOR500 equips participants with the skills to sift through this wealth of information and leverage it to their advantage.

Key Learning Objectives:

- Conduct thorough Windows forensic analysis encompassing Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server products.
- Employ cutting-edge forensic tools and methodologies to meticulously document a suspect's action on a Windows system, including artifact placement, program execution, file/folder access, geolocation tracking, browser history, USB device usage, and cloud storage activities.
- Conduct rapid "fast forensics" assessments to triage systems swiftly, providing expedited insights to facilitate informed decision-making.
- Determine the precise timing of specific user actions via Registry and Windows artifact analysis, leveraging this information to establish intent in cases involving intellectual property theft, compromised systems, and other criminal activities.
- Quantify the frequency of suspect file access through browser forensics, shortcut file analysis (LNK), email scrutiny, and Windows Registry parsing.
- Audit cloud storage usage to uncover detailed user activity, identify deleted files, detect data exfiltration attempts, and retrieve comprehensive information on cloud-hosted files.
- Identify user-specific search queries on Windows systems to pinpoint the data and information of interest to suspects and conduct detailed damage assessments.
- Utilize Windows Shell Bag analysis tools to map out every folder and directory accessed by a user or attacker across local, removable, and network drives.
- Determine each instance of USB device attachment to a Windows system, the files/folders accessed on the device, and the user responsible, leveraging Windows artifacts such as Registry hives and Event Log files.
- Utilize Event Log analysis techniques to ascertain user login events, whether initiated remotely, at the keyboard, or through screen unlock actions.
- Extract metadata and file content from the Windows Search Database, providing information from local drives, removable media, and applications like Microsoft Outlook, OneNote, SharePoint, and OneDrive.
- Identify a system's geographical location through Registry data, pinpointing system geolocation by analyzing connected networks and wireless access points.
- Employ forensic tools for comprehensive web browser analysis, parsing raw SQLite and ESE databases, and leveraging session recovery artifacts to uncover web activity, even in private and private browsing scenarios.
- Analyze Electron Application databases to investigate numerous third-party applications, including popular chat clients.
- Determine user activities on a system, communication patterns, and actions related to file downloads, modifications, and deletions.

Course Components:

- FOR500 Windows Forensic Analysis, GCFE Course
 
PDF Guides:
A Practical Guide To Digital Forensics Investigations
Basics Of Digital.Forensics
Big Data Analytics And Computing For Digital Forensic Investigations
Cyber Security And Digital Forensics Challenges And Future Trends
Cybercrime And Digital Forensics: An Introduction
Digital Forensic Education
Digital Forensics And Cyber Crime
Digital Forensics And Incident Response  Incident Response Techniques And Procedures
Digital Forensics Basics_ A Practical Guide Using Windows OS
Digital Forensics Explained
Digital Forensics Investigation And Response
Digital Forensics With Kali Linux
Digital Forensics
Fundamentals Of Digital Forensics Theory Methods And Real Life Applications
Introductory Computer Forensics_ A Hands-On Practical Approach
iOS Forensics For Investigators
Learn Computer Forensics: A Beginners Guide To Searching, Analyzing And Securing Digital Evidence
Mastering Windows Network Forensics And.Investigation
Memory
Network Forensics
Powershell And Python Together_ Targeting Digital Investigations
Practical Forensic Imaging  Securing Digital Evidence With Linux Tools
Python Digital Forensics Cookbook
Ransomware And Cybercrime
Security Privacy And Digital Forensics In The Cloud
What Every Engineer Should Know About Cyber Security And Digital Forensics