You can't succeed in the field of computer forensics without hands-on practice--and you can't get hands-on practice without real forensic data. The solution: Real Digital Forensics. In this book, a team of world-class computer forensics experts walks you through six detailed, highly realistic investigations.

This book relies heavily on open source tools, so you can perform virtually every task without investing in any commercial software.

You'll investigate environments ranging from financial institutions to software companies and crimes ranging from intellectual property theft to SEC violations. As you move step by step through each investigation, you'll discover practical techniques for overcoming the challenges forensics professionals face most often.

Inside, you will find in-depth information on the following areas:

• Responding to live incidents in both Windows and Unix environments

• Determining whether an attack has actually occurred

• Assembling a toolkit you can take to the scene of a computer-related crime

• Analysing volatile data, nonvolatile data, and files of unknown origin

• Safely performing and documenting forensic duplications

• Collecting and analysing network-based evidence in Windows and Unix environments

• Reconstructing Web browsing, e-mail activity, and Windows Registry changes

• Tracing domain name ownership and the source of e-mails

• Duplicating and analysing the contents of PDAs and flash memory devices