Proactive Network Defense & Digital Investigation for Litigation and More
Network Forensics Team Lead – Timothy E. Allen | Former Special Agent (U.S. Secret Service & DOJ-OIG)
Corporate Investigation Consulting’s experts meticulously monitor and analyze your network traffic to detect intrusions, breaches, and suspicious activity. We uncover every piece of digital evidence, leaving no stone unturned. From initial data collection to expert witness testimony, we provide comprehensive support throughout the entire investigative or litigation process.
Whether your network spans a single office or multiple international locations, our experts will use advanced technology to manage your data sources. Our digital forensics consultants collaborate with your business to deliver the truth.
Comprehensive Network Forensics Services We Provide
Corporate Investigation Consulting offers an array of network forensics services that assist with combating cybercrime, aid in internal investigations as well as external investigations, and support litigation.
Collecting Forensic Data for Incident Response
We can help you detect an incident by pinpointing abnormal activity on your network. Our network forensic consultants can isolate and identify data for incident analysis to expedite network threat investigations. We will capture and maintain a chain-of-custody that will support current or future litigation.
Evaluating Your Network’s Capabilities
It’s important to understand the full capabilities of your network and any protections you have in place. We can test your network and offer robust recommendations on how to improve your current setup and ensure your full system is safe.
Incident Response and Reporting
Our expert network forensic professionals can jump into action when you need a response to a cybersecurity or other incident. We can identify patterns, provide analytics, gather data, and manage your incident through our case management processes.
Detecting Incidents and Threats
We use real-time monitoring and big data analytics to discover malware, ransomware, unauthorized access, data leaks, and more. Our dashboards are used to identify threats to your network that are sudden or ongoing. Our experts easily search information, metadata, and more to discover any incidents that might compromise your systems.
Assisting with Compliance Efforts
Large companies often manage sensitive information, and those networks must comply with regulatory requirements. Our network consultants can ensure your system is up to date and ready to withstand any scrutiny that you might face.
Expert Testimony from Network Forensic Consultants
We work with many network experts who can evaluate your company’s systems and any incident that might occur. Our consultants’ expert testimony can be used in investigatory hearings and in court.
Reporting Findings at Hearings and in Court
We produce comprehensive reports documenting our findings, methodology, and conclusions. This information can serve as evidence in investigative hearings and legal proceedings. It’s important to provide the authorities with meticulously prepared information that is analyzed by experts in the industry.
Put our highly experienced team on your side
Roger Bach
Former Special Agent (OIG)
Timothy E. Allen
Former Senior Special Agent U.S. Secret Service
Chris J. Quick
Former Special Agent (FBI & IRS-CI)
Maura Kelley
Former Special Agent (FBI)
Ray Yuen
Former Supervisory Special Agent (FBI)
Michael S. Koslow
Former Supervisory Special Agent (DOD-OIG)
Marquis D. Pickett
Special Agent U.S. Secret Service (ret.)
Our Former Special Agents Excel in Network Forensics
Corporate Investigation Consulting offers unparalleled network forensics expertise through our team of former special agents from the FBI, Secret Service, and other leading agencies. Their unique combination of investigative experience, technical proficiency, and understanding of legal procedures makes them invaluable for complex digital investigations.
Investigative Acumen
Our former agents are trained investigators with critical thinking skills, adept at uncovering hidden information and recognizing criminal patterns essential for effective network forensics.
Technical Proficiency
Many of our digital forensic experts possess extensive digital forensics and cybercrime investigation training, mastering data collection, preservation, analysis, and the latest industry tools. This technical skill, combined with their investigative mindset, ensures thorough evidence discovery.
Legal and Procedural Expertise
With a deep understanding of legal procedures and evidentiary rules, our consultants ensure chain-of-custody, data integrity, and adherence to strict legal standards, safeguarding the admissibility of evidence.
Experience with Cybercrime
Our network forensics consultants’ firsthand experience investigating diverse cybercrimes provides invaluable insight into cybercriminal tactics, enabling effective response and mitigation of attacks.
Credibility and Objectivity
Former special agents bring a high level of credibility and impartiality to investigations, lending significant weight to their testimony and reports in legal settings.
Key Steps in a Network Forensics Investigation
Networks are the lifeblood of organizations, facilitating communication, data sharing, and critical operations. However, this digital landscape is also a fertile ground for malicious activity, ranging from data breaches and malware infections to insider threats and denial-of-service attacks.
When such incidents occur, network forensics becomes an important discipline for identifying the root cause, understanding the scope of the compromise, gathering evidence, and ultimately, holding perpetrators accountable. A well-executed network forensics investigation follows a systematic and meticulous approach, encompassing several key steps that ensure the integrity and admissibility of the collected evidence.
Phase 1: Preparation and Authorization
Before any data collection or analysis begins, the preparation phase lays the groundwork for a successful investigation. This involves several steps:
- Incident Detection and Initial Assessment: The investigation typically begins with the detection of a suspicious event or security incident. This could be triggered by security alerts from Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS), firewall logs, endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools, user reports, or anomaly detection systems.
- Defining Scope and Objectives: Based on the initial assessment, the scope of the investigation needs to be clearly defined. This includes identifying the specific systems, network segments, and timeframes that will be examined.
- Establishing Legal and Ethical Considerations: Network forensics investigations often involve accessing and analyzing sensitive data. It is important to ensure that all actions are legally sound and ethically justifiable.
- Gathering Preliminary Information and Network Documentation: Before diving into data analysis, gathering existing information about the network infrastructure is essential. This includes network diagrams, IP address schemes, routing tables, firewall configurations, access control lists, and logs from various network devices.
Phase 2: Data Acquisition and Preservation
This phase is arguably the most critical, as it involves collecting the necessary network data in a forensically sound manner.
- Identifying Potential Data Sources: Network forensics investigations can draw data from a variety of sources, including mobile devices, cloud data, network traffic captures (PCAPs), router and switch logs, firewall logs, intrusion detection/prevention system (IDS/IPS) logs, proxy server logs, VPN logs, NetFlow/IPFIX data, and endpoint system logs.
- Establishing a Chain-of-Custody: Maintaining a meticulous chain-of-custody is essential for ensuring the admissibility of evidence in legal proceedings. This involves documenting every person who handles the evidence, the date and time of transfer, and the purpose of the transfer.
- Employing Forensically Sound Acquisition Methods: The method of data acquisition must be chosen carefully to avoid altering the original data or compromising forensic artifacts. This often involves creating forensic images or copies of data rather than directly analyzing live systems.
- Prioritizing Data Acquisition: Given the potentially large volume of network data, it is often necessary to prioritize data acquisition based on the scope and objectives of the investigation.
- Verifying Data Integrity: After acquisition, it is essential to verify the integrity of the collected data.
Phase 3: Data Analysis
Once the relevant data has been acquired and preserved, the analysis phase begins. This is where investigators meticulously examine the data to identify evidence, reconstruct events, and draw conclusions.
- Data Processing and Normalization: Raw network data often needs to be processed and normalized to facilitate analysis.
- Timeline Analysis: Constructing a timeline of events is important for understanding the sequence of actions that occurred during the incident.
- Traffic Analysis: Analyzing network traffic captures (PCAPs) provides a deep dive into network communications. This involves examining packet headers, payloads, and communication patterns to identify malicious traffic, data exfiltration, deleted data, lateral movement, and anomalous protocols or ports.
- Log Analysis: Examining logs from various network devices and security systems can provide valuable insights into network events.
- Flow Analysis: Analyzing NetFlow or IPFIX data can provide a high-level overview of network traffic patterns.
- Correlation and Aggregation: Network forensics investigations often involve analyzing large volumes of data from multiple sources that must be correlated and aggregated.
- Visualization: Visualizing network data, such as traffic patterns, communication flows, and geographical locations of communicating hosts, can help investigators identify anomalies and understand complex relationships more easily.
Phase 4: Reporting and Presentation
Once the data analysis is complete, the findings need to be documented and presented in a clear and concise manner.
- Creating a Comprehensive Report: The investigation report should detail all aspects of the investigation.
- Maintaining Objectivity and Accuracy: The report should be objective and based solely on the evidence collected and analyzed.
- Presenting Findings to Stakeholders: The findings of the network forensics investigation need to be communicated to relevant stakeholders, such as management, legal counsel, and law enforcement.
- Providing Expert Testimony: In cases involving legal action, network forensics investigators may be required to provide expert testimony in court.
Phase 5: Remediation and Follow-up
The network forensics investigation does not end with the report. The findings should be used to drive remediation efforts and prevent future incidents. Organizations must implement remediation measures and improve security controls. They must also continuously monitor and improve their networks.
FAQs: Decoding Digital Footprints of Network Forensics
Why Is Network Forensics Important?
Network forensics is important for several reasons. It helps organizations understand the root cause of security breaches, allowing them to take targeted remediation steps and prevent future incidents. It also provides valuable evidence that can be used in legal proceedings, whether it’s prosecuting cybercriminals or resolving internal security violations.
Network forensics aids in identifying insider threats and unauthorized activities within an organization’s network. Proactive network forensics can help detect anomalies and suspicious behavior before they escalate into full-blown security incidents, strengthening an organization’s overall security posture.
What Types of Incidents Can Network Forensics Help Investigate?
Network forensics can be applied to a wide range of security incidents, including:
- Data Breaches: Identifying how attackers gained access to sensitive data and what information was compromised.
- Malware Infections: Tracing the source of malware, understanding its communication patterns, and identifying affected systems.
- Denial-of-Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks: Analyzing traffic patterns to identify the source of the attack and develop mitigation strategies.
- Insider Threats: Monitoring network activity to detect unauthorized access, data exfiltration, or policy violations by employees.
- Unauthorized Access: Investigating instances of individuals gaining access to systems or resources they are not permitted to use.
- Policy Violations: Identifying users who are violating network usage policies, such as accessing prohibited websites or engaging in unauthorized file sharing.
What Is a Network Forensic Consultant?
A network forensic consultant is a specialized professional who possesses the expertise and tools necessary to conduct network forensics investigations. They are typically external experts hired by organizations to investigate security incidents, analyze network data, provide expert opinions, and assist with legal proceedings. They bring an objective perspective and specialized skills for analyzing electronic data that may not be available in-house.
Contact a Network Forensics Consultant with Corporate Investigation Consulting Today
Corporate Investigation Consulting’s lead digital forensics expert, Timothy Allen, and his team, provide comprehensive network forensics services to companies, government agencies, and law firms for prevention, investigations, litigation, and beyond.
To schedule a consultation with one of our former senior federal agents, call 866-352-9324 nationwide, 24/7. Alternatively, submit your contact information, and we will promptly reach out.