collecting-volatile-evidence-from-compromised-host

Collect volatile forensic evidence from a compromised system following order of volatility, preserving memory, network connections, processes, and system state before they are lost.

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Repositorio: AgentFlocks/flocks
Última actividad en el origen: 5 de mayo de 2026 a las 05:45
Idioma detectado de SKILL.md: inglés
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name	collecting-volatile-evidence-from-compromised-host
description	Collect volatile forensic evidence from a compromised system following order of volatility, preserving memory, network connections, processes, and system state before they are lost.
domain	cybersecurity
subdomain	incident-response
tags	["incident-response","dfir","forensics","volatile-evidence","memory-forensics","chain-of-custody"]
mitre_attack	["T1003","T1055","T1059","T1547"]
version	1.0
author	mahipal
license	Apache-2.0
nist_csf	["RS.MA-01","RS.MA-02","RS.AN-03","RC.RP-01"]

Collecting Volatile Evidence from Compromised Hosts

When to Use

Security incident confirmed and compromised host identified
Before system isolation, shutdown, or remediation begins
Memory-resident malware suspected (fileless attacks)
Need to capture network connections, running processes, and system state
Legal proceedings may require forensic evidence preservation
Incident requires root cause analysis with volatile data

Prerequisites

Forensic collection toolkit on USB or network share (trusted tools)
WinPmem/LiME for memory acquisition
Write-blocker or forensic workstation for disk imaging
Chain of custody documentation forms
Secure evidence storage with integrity verification
Authorization to collect evidence (legal/HR approval for insider cases)

Workflow

Step 1: Prepare Collection Environment

# Mount forensic USB toolkit (do NOT install tools on compromised system)
# Verify toolkit integrity
sha256sum /mnt/forensic_usb/tools/* > /tmp/toolkit_hashes.txt
diff /mnt/forensic_usb/tools/known_good_hashes.txt /tmp/toolkit_hashes.txt

# Create evidence output directory with timestamps
EVIDENCE_DIR="/mnt/evidence/$(hostname)_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)"
mkdir -p "$EVIDENCE_DIR"
echo "Collection started: $(date -u)" > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/collection_log.txt"
echo "Collector: $(whoami)" >> "$EVIDENCE_DIR/collection_log.txt"
echo "System: $(hostname)" >> "$EVIDENCE_DIR/collection_log.txt"

Step 2: Capture System Memory (Highest Volatility)

# Windows - WinPmem memory acquisition
winpmem_mini_x64.exe 


insmod /mnt/forensic_usb/lime.ko 


 =/proc/kcore of= bs=1M


osxpmem -o 


 * >

# Active network connections
# Windows
netstat -anob > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/netstat_connections.txt" 2>&1
Get-NetTCPConnection | Export-Csv "$EVIDENCE_DIR/tcp_connections.csv" -NoTypeInformation
Get-NetUDPEndpoint | Export-Csv "$EVIDENCE_DIR/udp_endpoints.csv" -NoTypeInformation

# Linux
ss -tulnp > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/socket_stats.txt"
netstat -anp > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/netstat_all.txt" 2>/dev/null
cat /proc/net/tcp > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/proc_net_tcp.txt"
cat /proc/net/udp > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/proc_net_udp.txt"

# ARP cache
arp -a > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/arp_cache.txt"

# Routing table
route print > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/routing_table.txt"  # Windows
ip route show > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/routing_table.txt"  # Linux

# DNS cache
ipconfig /displaydns > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/dns_cache.txt"  # Windows
# Linux: varies by resolver, check systemd-resolve or nscd
systemd-resolve --statistics > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/dns_stats.txt" 2>/dev/null

# Active firewall rules
netsh advfirewall show allprofiles > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/firewall_rules.txt"  # Windows
iptables -L -n -v > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/iptables_rules.txt"  # Linux

# Windows - Detailed process list
tasklist /V /FO CSV > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/process_list_verbose.csv"
wmic process list full > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/wmic_process_full.txt"
Get-Process | Select-Object Id,ProcessName,Path,StartTime,CPU,WorkingSet |
  Export-Csv "$EVIDENCE_DIR/ps_processes.csv" -NoTypeInformation

# Windows - Process with command line and parent
wmic process get ProcessId,Name,CommandLine,ParentProcessId,ExecutablePath /FORMAT:CSV > \
  "$EVIDENCE_DIR/process_commandlines.csv"

# Linux - Full process tree
ps auxwwf > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/process_tree.txt"
ps -eo pid,ppid,user,args --forest > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/process_forest.txt"
cat /proc/*/cmdline 2>/dev/null | tr '\0' ' ' > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/proc_cmdline_all.txt"

# Process modules/DLLs loaded
# Windows
listdlls.exe -accepteula > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/loaded_dlls.txt"
# Linux
for pid in $(ls /proc/ | grep -E '^[0-9]+$'); do
  echo "=== PID $pid ===" >> "$EVIDENCE_DIR/proc_maps.txt"
  cat "/proc/$pid/maps" 2>/dev/null >> "$EVIDENCE_DIR/proc_maps.txt"
done

# Open file handles
handle.exe -accepteula > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/open_handles.txt"  # Windows (Sysinternals)
lsof > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/open_files.txt"  # Linux

# Windows
query user > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/logged_in_users.txt"
query session > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/active_sessions.txt"
net session > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/net_sessions.txt" 2>&1
net use > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/mapped_drives.txt" 2>&1

# Linux
who > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/who_output.txt"
w > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/w_output.txt"
last -50 > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/last_logins.txt"
lastlog > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/lastlog.txt"
cat /var/log/auth.log | tail -200 > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/recent_auth.txt" 2>/dev/null

# System time (critical for timeline)
date -u > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/system_time_utc.txt"
w32tm /query /status > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/ntp_status.txt"  # Windows
ntpq -p > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/ntp_status.txt"  # Linux

# Environment variables
set > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/environment_vars.txt"  # Windows
env > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/environment_vars.txt"  # Linux

# Scheduled tasks / Cron jobs
schtasks /query /fo CSV /v > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/scheduled_tasks.csv"  # Windows
crontab -l > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/crontab_current.txt" 2>/dev/null  # Linux
ls -la /etc/cron.* > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/cron_dirs.txt" 2>/dev/null

# Services
sc queryex type=service state=all > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/services_all.txt"  # Windows
systemctl list-units --type=service --all > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/systemd_services.txt"  # Linux

# Windows Registry - key autostart locations
reg export "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" "$EVIDENCE_DIR/reg_run_hklm.reg" /y
reg export "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" "$EVIDENCE_DIR/reg_run_hkcu.reg" /y
reg export "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services" "$EVIDENCE_DIR/reg_services.reg" /y

# Generate SHA256 hashes for all collected evidence
cd "$EVIDENCE_DIR"
sha256sum * > evidence_manifest.sha256

# Create chain of custody record
cat > "$EVIDENCE_DIR/chain_of_custody.txt" << EOF
CHAIN OF CUSTODY RECORD
========================
Case ID: IR-YYYY-NNN
Collection Date: $(date -u)
Collected By: $(whoami)
System: $(hostname)
System IP: $(hostname -I 2>/dev/null || ipconfig | grep IPv4)
Collection Method: Live forensic collection via trusted USB toolkit

Evidence Items:
$(ls -la "$EVIDENCE_DIR/" | grep -v chain_of_custody)

SHA256 Manifest: evidence_manifest.sha256
Transfer: [TO BE COMPLETED]
Storage Location: [TO BE COMPLETED]
EOF

Concept	Description
Order of Volatility	RFC 3227 - Collect most volatile data first: registers > cache > memory > disk
Live Forensics	Collecting evidence from a running system before shutdown
Chain of Custody	Documentation tracking evidence handling from collection to court
Forensic Soundness	Ensuring evidence collection doesn't alter the original evidence
Trusted Tools	Using verified tools from external media, not from the compromised system
Evidence Integrity	SHA256 hashing of all evidence immediately after collection
Locard's Exchange Principle	Every contact leaves a trace - minimize investigator artifacts

Tool	Purpose
WinPmem	Windows memory acquisition
LiME (Linux Memory Extractor)	Linux kernel memory acquisition
Sysinternals Suite	Process, handle, and DLL analysis (Windows)
Velociraptor	Remote forensic collection at scale
KAPE (Kroll Artifact Parser)	Automated artifact collection on Windows
CyLR	Cross-platform live response collection
GRR Rapid Response	Remote live forensics framework