This week, I’m talking about nested groups in Windows Active Directory and the security risks they pose. Active Directory allows administrators to attach one group to another—often called nesting. While nesting can simplify account administration and permission management, it can also create real opportunities for attackers if...

One of the essential skill sets for a DFIR analyst is the ability to understand the impact of vulnerabilities quickly. In many IR scenarios, you may find a newly discovered vulnerability or receive a scan that flags multiple potential weaknesses. To stay efficient, you must...

This week, we’re exploring the System Resource Usage Monitor (SRUM) – a powerful source of forensic data within Windows operating systems. First introduced...

In this episode, our focus is on understanding how attackers achieve lateral movement and persistence through Secure Shell (SSH)—and more importantly, how to spot the forensic traces...

In this episode, we’ll take a focused look at how to triage one of the most commonly targeted Windows processes: svchost.exe. While the methods in this series generally apply to all Windows core processes, svchost is an especially important case because attackers...

Ransomware attacks move quickly, making your initial response crucial in minimizing impact. This episode outlines critical first steps, from isolating infected machines to gathering key information and initiating containment. Whether you’re a SOC analyst, incident responder, or the first to notice an attack, this framework is designed to help you regain control. Follow these guidelines to effectively mitigate the damage from the very start.

Today’s episode explores Apple Spotlight and its extended metadata—a powerful yet often overlooked forensic tool in the Mac ecosystem. Spotlight plays a critical role in uncovering digital evidence on macOS. Both experienced forensic analysts and newcomers will find its capabilities essential. Let’s dive into the details.

BIN directories (short for binary) store command binaries like CD, PWD, LS, Vi, and CAT. Every platform has multiple BIN directories: two in the root directory and two in each user directory. This episode explains the types of files in these directories and the purpose of each BIN directory. I will also clarify which directories are typically used by users versus those used by the root user.