Incident Response & Digital Forensics

Memory_Forensic

  • May 9, 2025
  • 0

Sherlocked Security – Memory Forensics

Uncover the Secrets Hidden in Volatile Memory – An In-Depth Analysis of Live Memory to Detect and Investigate Malicious Activity

1. Statement of Work (SOW)

Service Name: Memory Forensics
Client Type: Enterprises, SaaS Providers, FinTech, Government Agencies, Incident Response Teams
Service Model: On-Demand Engagement & Retainer Support
Compliance Alignment: NIST 800-53, ISO/IEC 27001, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA

Memory Forensics Covers:

  • Malware Analysis (e.g., Rootkits, Fileless Malware)
  • Credential Dumping & Exploitation
  • Suspicious Process and Thread Analysis
  • Detecting Network Connections and C2 (Command and Control) Servers
  • Investigation of Memory Residue from Attacks (e.g., Ransomware, APTs)
  • Memory Acquisition and Preservation

2. Our Approach

[Preparation] → [Memory Acquisition] → [Analysis & Investigation] → [Malware Detection] → [Incident Documentation] → [Forensic Reporting] → [Remediation Guidance]

3. Methodology

  • Pre-Incident Setup: Preparation of forensic tools, environment setup for acquiring live memory dumps.
  • Memory Acquisition: Secure capture of memory (RAM) from suspect systems using trusted tools (e.g., FTK Imager, Volatility, or LiME).
  • Memory Analysis: Analysis of memory dumps to extract critical information, including processes, network connections, and injected code.
  • Suspicious Activity Investigation: Identification of suspicious processes, threads, and unapproved memory injections that may indicate a compromise.
  • Malware Analysis: Detecting and identifying malicious code that resides in memory without leaving traces on disk.
  • Incident Documentation: A full forensic timeline of actions based on memory analysis.
  • Forensic Reporting: A detailed report documenting all findings, including IOCs, root cause, and the attacker’s techniques.
  • Remediation Guidance: Offering actionable steps for preventing future attacks based on findings.

4. Deliverables to the Client

  1. Forensic Memory Analysis Report: Documenting analysis findings, processes, and network connections.
  2. Indicators of Compromise (IOCs): Hashes, IPs, domains, and other IOCs discovered during the analysis.
  3. Malware Memory Footprint: Identifying and explaining malicious code remnants found in memory.
  4. Detailed Timeline: Reconstruction of the attack timeline from volatile memory, identifying intrusion vectors.
  5. Recommendations: Mitigation steps to block future memory-based attacks (e.g., hardening, improved detection).
  6. Memory Dump: Securely preserved memory dump for further investigation or legal use, as needed.
  7. Post-Incident Playbook Update: Updating your incident response plan based on findings from the memory analysis.

5. What We Need from You (Client Requirements)

  • Suspected System Memory: A system suspected of being compromised, with a need for a live memory dump (secured channel for transfer).
  • Initial Incident Information: Information about the suspected incident (e.g., behavior, signs of compromise).
  • Point of Contact: Access to IT/security teams for rapid response during memory acquisition.
  • Secure Environment: Ensure that systems used for analysis are isolated and secure to avoid further contamination.
  • Tools: Access to any internal forensics tools or memory acquisition tools that are available.

6. Tools & Technology Stack

  • Memory Acquisition Tools:
    • FTK Imager
    • LiME (Linux Memory Extractor)
    • WinPmem
    • Volatility Foundation (memory analysis framework)
  • Memory Analysis:
    • Volatility
    • Rekall
    • X-Ways Forensics
    • Redline (for Windows analysis)
  • Network Traffic Analysis:
    • Wireshark
    • tcpdump
    • NetFlow analysis
  • Malware Analysis:
    • Cuckoo Sandbox (for malware behavior analysis)
    • IDA Pro, Ghidra (for deep reverse engineering)
    • YARA (for signature-based detection)

7. Engagement Lifecycle

  1. Client Onboarding & Initial Briefing
  2. Memory Acquisition & Chain of Custody Setup
  3. Live Memory Dump from Targeted System
  4. Forensic Memory Analysis & Detection of Suspicious Behavior
  5. Malware Detection and Behavior Mapping
  6. Root Cause Analysis and Attack Vector Identification
  7. Incident Reporting & Timeline Construction
  8. IOC Documentation & Malware Signature Creation
  9. Remediation Advice & Actionable Recommendations
  10. Post-Incident Playbook Updates

8. Why Sherlocked Security?

Feature Sherlocked Advantage
Expert Memory Analysts Deep expertise in volatile memory analysis and forensics.
Live Memory Analysis Ability to analyze live memory without compromising integrity.
Memory Acquisition Best Practices Ensuring accurate capture and preservation of volatile memory.
Holistic Incident Response Provides comprehensive analysis from memory to disk and network.
Tailored Remediation Advice Specific steps to block similar attacks in the future.

9. Real-World Case Studies

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) in Financial Sector

Issue: Suspicious network behavior and slow system performance.
Findings: Memory forensics revealed a covert backdoor and data exfiltration process operating from memory.
Outcome: Attackers had loaded a custom RAT (remote access tool) into memory, evading detection on disk. Memory analysis uncovered hidden C2 communications, and key IOCs were extracted.

Fileless Malware in Healthcare Industry

Client: A hospital network.
Findings: Fileless malware was found to be using legitimate processes for lateral movement. It was persistent only in memory, making traditional antivirus ineffective.
Outcome: The memory analysis revealed malicious PowerShell scripts running in memory, along with hidden processes that communicated with external C2 servers.

10. SOP – Standard Operating Procedure

  1. Memory Acquisition: Perform memory dump of the suspect system using appropriate forensic tools while maintaining chain of custody.
  2. Memory Integrity Verification: Ensure the dump has not been tampered with and is a true representation of the system’s state.
  3. Static Analysis of Memory: Analyze memory for signs of known malware, suspicious processes, injected code, and unauthorized network activity.
  4. Dynamic Analysis: Simulate attack behavior in a controlled environment to understand its functionality and impact.
  5. Reporting: Create a detailed forensic report with a timeline of the attack and forensic evidence.
  6. IOC Creation: Generate IOCs for the attack based on findings, including hashes, domains, IP addresses, and registry keys.
  7. Post-Incident Recommendations: Provide mitigation strategies and recommendations to prevent similar future attacks, including memory hardening.

11. Memory Forensics – Readiness Checklist

1. Pre-Incident Setup

  • [ ] Memory Acquisition Tools Ready: Ensure that memory acquisition tools (FTK Imager, LiME, etc.) are configured and operational.
  • [ ] Secure Memory Dumping Process: Ensure secure channels for transferring memory dumps.
  • [ ] Incident Response Plan Updated: Ensure memory forensics is integrated into the overall incident response plan.
  • [ ] Pre-Incident Training: Conduct memory forensics training for internal teams on how to collect and handle memory dumps.

2. During Memory Forensics

  • [ ] Memory Acquisition Performed: Capture memory dumps from suspect systems promptly and securely.
  • [ ] Chain of Custody Maintained: Document and secure the integrity of the memory dump to prevent tampering.
  • [ ] Forensic Analysis Conducted: Analyze memory for signs of suspicious activity, including malware, rootkits, and injected processes.
  • [ ] Live System Documentation: Document all processes, network activity, and potential malware indicators found in memory.

3. Post-Analysis Response

  • [ ] IOC Documentation: Share all relevant IOCs derived from memory with internal systems and threat intelligence platforms.
  • [ ] Malware Signature Creation: Develop YARA rules or other signatures for the identified malware/attack.
  • [ ] Remediation: Provide recommendations for blocking attack vectors, hardening systems, and preventing fileless malware.
  • [ ] Playbook Updates: Ensure internal incident response playbooks are updated to include memory forensics insights.

4. Continuous Improvement

  • [ ] Incident Review: Conduct a retrospective to ensure lessons are learned and playbooks are updated.
  • [ ] Ongoing Monitoring: Ensure that memory forensics-related detection mechanisms are continuously monitored.
  • [ ] Training & Awareness: Regularly update internal teams on new memory forensics techniques and attack vectors.
Network Forensics
Malware_Reverse_Engineering