On-site investigation methodology for incident response in Windows environments

Abstract

In recent years, various computers have been compromised through several paths. In particular, the attack patterns and paths are becoming more various than in the past. Furthermore, systems damaged by hackers are used as zombie systems to attack other web servers or personal computers, so there is a high probability to spread secondary damage such as DDoS. Also, previously, hacking and malicious code were carried out for self-display or simple curiosity, but recently they are related to monetary extortion. In order to respond to incidents correctly, it is important to measure the damage to a system rapidly and determine the attack paths. This paper will discuss an on-site investigation methodology for incident response and also describe the limitations of this methodology. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.