Understanding how and why incidents happen is crucial in cybersecurity investigations. It takes deep technical knowledge to analyze and fix these issues effectively. By knowing how attacks work and what systems they affect, we can prevent similar attacks in the future.
At the start of an investigation, we don't have much information. We follow a three-step process: finding signs of an attack, looking for new clues and affected systems, and gathering and studying data as we go. It's important not to focus only on known attack tools and to keep our investigation open-minded.
We always need to keep looking for new clues, not just sticking to what we already know is bad. Rushing to conclusions can make us miss important details.
We use specific clues, called IOCs, to show there's been an attack. Tools help us create and use these clues, but we need to be careful with some tools to keep our investigations secure.
Sometimes, we find clues that don't really mean there's an attack (false alarms). We have to sort these out and focus on the clues that will help us find new leads and understand what happened.
Once we find systems that show signs of an attack, we collect and study their data. We can do this without shutting down the systems (live response) or by turning them off temporarily. It's tricky because we can lose some important clues if we're not careful.
Analyzing data thoroughly is key, especially for complex attacks. And we have to keep track of everything properly in case we need to use it in legal situations.
Summary:
- Understanding cybersecurity incidents needs good technical skills.
- Investigations start small but grow as we find more clues.
- We use specific clues to track attacks, but we have to be careful with how we gather and analyze data.
- Sorting through clues and analyzing data well helps us understand attacks and prepare for future security.