Cyber Security Investigations: Some Techniques Explained

Criminals are well established in cyberspace, while business leaders have just realized the necessity to build a truly effective information security system.

The correlation of forces between cybercriminals and defenders is not in favor of the latter. Hackers actively use the latest vulnerabilities, act very quickly, and most importantly, they often change their tools and tactics. The imminent threat of sophisticated targeted attacks prompts companies to rethink the effectiveness of security systems. Besides, sometimes it's not even clear that there was a cybercrime, and as a result, it's almost impossible to get the information about hackers. That's why we want to share some tools and techniques for cyber security investigation.

Urgent Problem of Cybercrime

Cybercrime is a criminal activity that aims to misuse a computer, network, or device. Most cyber attacks are committed by cybercriminals or hackers who make money from it. Usually, cybercrime activities are carried out by individuals or organizations that use advanced methods and are highly technical, while others are budding hackers. Besides, cybercriminals rarely hack into computers for non-profit reasons, such as political or personal ones.

 Types of Cybercrime

Here are some examples of different types of cybercrime:

• Email Fraud and Internet Fraud
• Fraud using personal information (theft and misuse of personal data)
• Theft of financial data or bank card data
• Theft and sale of corporate data
• Cyber blackmail (demanding money to prevent a cyber attack)
• Cryptojacking (mining cryptocurrency using other people's resources without the knowledge of their owners)
• Cyberespionage (unauthorized gaining access to data from government or commercial organizations).
• Most cybercrimes fall into one of two categories:
• Criminal activity aimed at computers 
• Criminal activity in which computers are used to commit other crimes

There are many different cybercrimes, and very often, people even don't know that their data can be stolen. Remember that you should be attentive and don't present insecure sources with your personal information.  

Cyber Security Investigations Techniques 

Digital crimes occur almost every minute. Hackers need for a cyber attack a phone, laptop or computer, the Internet, or any device connected to networks. Therefore, cyber security investigations analyze and gather all the cybercrime information to find the criminal and understand his aims. It's not an easy task to track the hackers' actions. That's why cybercrime investigators should get the hang of this, understand how everything was going on, why it happened, and who was the performer of a cybercrime. 

We offer you some techniques to identify and examine all the hidden details of a cyber attack during cyber security investigations. First of all, investigators define the history of crime and establish what they are confronted with. Then they gather all the information connected with a cyber attack and start tracking the hackers and the way they performed an incident. When the investigators have gathered enough data on the cyber attack, they start examining the digital systems involved in the crime source, and here special tools come to assistance.

Best Cyber Security Investigations Tools

Here are the most popular tools that will help you to investigate a cyber attack and analyze your data. Cybercriminals use advanced techniques and often try to cover their tracks, but they won't trick you with these cyber security investigation tools:

Oxygen Forensic Detective

• SIFT Workstation
• The Sleuth Kit
• Bulk Extractor
• X-Ways Forensics
• ExifTool
• Digital Forensics Framework
• CAINE

These are universal tools with all the necessary utilities for performing forensic analysis. Providing a friendly graphical interface allows you to explore disk images, analyze file content, and build automated systems. They also enable you to analyze volumes and file system data on a suspect's computer and show deleted and hidden content. These tools find artifacts in documents, media, and mailboxes, and extract such information as email addresses, credit card numbers, URLs, and other digital files. Moreover, you can also use them for a comprehensive analysis of data stored on phones and cloud storage. Thus, they search for evidence. 

To sum up, these are the most popular and useful tools for cyber research and analysis that quickly solve the whole range of computer forensics tasks and investigate incidents, from data collection to reporting, and help you to cope with cyber attacks.

Some Tips for Preventing Cybercrime

• Don't download files from unverified sources

• Do not follow the links contained in the emails from senders you don't know

• Do not share your passwords and personal information with anyone

• Do not trust too tempting offers (phrases such as "free," "almost free," "gift," "big discounts")

• Update your software and operating system regularly

• Install antivirus software and update it regularly

• Use strong passwords

• Check the URLs of the websites you visit carefully. 

Protect Yourself from Cybercrime 

Protecting against cybercrime can take quite a long time, but it is always worth it. Nowadays, the Internet offers many cyber security investigations tools, and even non-experts can use some of them. However, it still demands in-depth knowledge, skills, and techniques to effectively and productively react to cybercrime. 

People can investigate the authors of a cyber attack and track their actions, but it's better to prevent such an accident. Besides, even adhering to safe Internet practices such as refraining from downloading from unknown sources and visiting low-profile sites means preventing cybercrime. A careful attitude to your credentials and personal data can also significantly contribute to protection from intruders. However, the most effective method of protection is still cyber security services. Contact MBS Tech to develop a safe digital environment for your business. 

Unfortunately, a cyber threat is a current problem, but now you know how to deal with it!