Cloud Forensics Demystified: Decoding cloud investigation complexities for digital forensic professionals

Enhance your skills as a cloud investigator to adeptly respond to cloud incidents by combining traditional forensic techniques with innovative approaches

Key Features

• Uncover the steps involved in cloud forensic investigations for M365 and Google Workspace
• Explore tools and logs available within AWS, Azure, and Google for cloud investigations
• Learn how to investigate containerized services such as Kubernetes and Docker
• Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook

Book Description

As organizations embrace cloud-centric environments, it becomes imperative for security professionals to master the skills of effective cloud investigation. Cloud Forensics Demystified addresses this pressing need, explaining how to use cloud-native tools and logs together with traditional digital forensic techniques for a thorough cloud investigation.

The book begins by giving you an overview of cloud services, followed by a detailed exploration of the tools and techniques used to investigate popular cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Progressing through the chapters, you’ll learn how to investigate Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and containerized environments such as Kubernetes. Throughout, the chapters emphasize the significance of the cloud, explaining which tools and logs need to be enabled for investigative purposes and demonstrating how to integrate them with traditional digital forensic tools and techniques to respond to cloud security incidents.

By the end of this book, you’ll be well-equipped to handle security breaches in cloud-based environments and have a comprehensive understanding of the essential cloud-based logs vital to your investigations. This knowledge will enable you to swiftly acquire and scrutinize artifacts of interest in cloud security incidents.

What you will learn

• Explore the essential tools and logs for your cloud investigation
• Master the overall incident response process and approach
• Familiarize yourself with the MITRE ATT&CK framework for the cloud
• Get to grips with live forensic analysis and threat hunting in the cloud
• Learn about cloud evidence acquisition for offline analysis
• Analyze compromised Kubernetes containers
• Employ automated tools to collect logs from M365

Who this book is for

This book is for cybersecurity professionals, incident responders, and IT professionals adapting to the paradigm shift toward cloud-centric environments. Anyone seeking a comprehensive guide to investigating security incidents in popular cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and GCP, as well as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and containerized environments like Kubernetes will find this book useful. Whether you're a seasoned professional or a newcomer to cloud security, this book offers insights and practical knowledge to enable you to handle and secure cloud-based infrastructure.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the Cloud
2. Trends in Cyber and Privacy Laws and Their Impact on DFIR
3. Exploring the Major Cloud Providers
4. DFIR Investigations – Logs in AWS
5. DFIR Investigations – Logs in Azure
6. DFIR Investigations – Logs in GCP
7. Cloud Productivity Suites
8. The Digital Forensics and Incident Response Process
9. Common Attack Vectors and TTPs
10. Cloud Evidence Acquisition
11. Analyzing Compromised Containers
12. Analyzing Compromised Cloud Productivity Suites

Ganesh Ramakrishnan is a senior manager at KPMG Canada's Incident Response team, with over 12 years of incident response experience. He leads a dynamic team focused on responding to and managing incidents for organizations across various industry sectors, working with KPMG's incident response teams globally. He has led numerous incident response cases, including high-profile ones, and collaborated with law enforcement agencies worldwide. Apart from assisting organizations during crises, Ganesh also helps them prepare for incidents and educates them on handling them. Ganesh has a master's in computer application and an MSc in network and information security. He also holds CISSP, SANS GCFA, and SANS GNFA certifications.

Mansoor Haqanee is a manager with KPMG Canada's Forensic Technology team, with over six years of experience in software development, computer forensics, and incident response. Mansoor has a background in electrical engineering with a bachelor of engineering from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). Combining his education with both software development and computer forensic experience, he is equipped to provide organizations with insights into the security of their assets. Mansoor has provided technology consulting services to a wide range of industries in the education, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, and government sectors, to name a few.