CS 235 - Basic Network Intrusion Investigations (June 2018)

This course covers the skills and techniques involved in responding to a network security incident. The course focuses on the identification, extraction, and detailed examination of artifacts associated with network and intrusions. Memory analysis, host machine forensics, network traffic and log analysis, malware analysis, and virtual machine sandboxing are covered through lecture, discussion, and hands-on exercises. Additional topics include key cybersecurity concepts and issues, as well as the various classifications and types of network attacks.

Course structure:

• Introduction to cybersecurity. Explore the cybersecurity threatscape, the Central Intelligence Agency Triad, and case studies.
• Network traffic analysis. Learn about the Open Systems Interconnection and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol models, as well as monitoring, capturing, and parsing artifacts from pocket capture files.
• Network attacks. Become familiar with attack types (insider threat, opportunistic, targeted, advanced persistent threats, blended attacks) and the examination of artifacts from keystroke logger, brute force attack, privilege escalation, remote access, data tampering, data exfiltration, botnet, and distributed denial-of-service attacks.
• Investigative techniques. Understand live machine triage, the order of volatility, capturing volatile data, and best practices for data analysis.
• Hands-on experience. Practice host machine triage, memory analysis, network traffic and log analysis, malware analysis, and virtual machine sandboxing.