Digital Forensics Cookbook

Learn the workflows professionals use to triage systems, uncover hidden activity, recover deleted evidence, crack encrypted containers, analyze Windows memory, and detect tampering using realistic hands-on forensic datasets.Free with your book: DRM-free PDF version + access to Packt's next-gen Reader* Key FeaturesMaster field-tested workflows for triage, acquisition, and cross-platform analysisUncover hidden activity, recover evidence, defeat encryption, and detect tamperingBuild hands-on investigation skills using realistic datasets across major platformsPurchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBookBook DescriptionModern investigations and incident response efforts live and die by digital evidence. Digital Forensics Cookbook uses realistic datasets and practical workflows drawn from real investigations to uncover the truth hidden inside computers, mobile devices, and online accounts.Rather than focusing on theory alone, this book moves you through the investigative process from triage and acquisition to artifact analysis, memory forensics, encryption challenges, malware triage, and detecting anti-forensic behavior. Along the way, you’ll perform remote artifact collection, analyze evidence across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android systems, investigate cloud-synced accounts, recover deleted data, manually carve evidence when tools fail, and identify attempts to hide or manipulate data.As you progress through the book, you’ll learn how to write and apply regular expressions and SQLite queries, build system timelines, baseline systems, automate analysis, verify findings across independent sources, generate custom password dictionaries to crack encrypted containers, detect metadata tampering designed to mislead investigators, and analyze Windows memory. By the end, you won’t just know how to run forensic tools – you’ll understand how investigators think, enabling you to turn scattered digital traces into clear, defensible conclusions.What you will learnPerform triage and evidence acquisition during live investigationsCollect artifacts remotely using incident response workflowsAnalyze evidence across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and AndroidRecover deleted data and manually carve evidence when tools failCrack encrypted containers using custom password dictionariesUse regex and SQLite queries to uncover hidden investigative cluesDetect anti-forensic techniques and metadata tamperingAnalyze Windows memory using Volatility to uncover live artifactsWho this book is forThis book is for digital forensic investigators, incident responders, and security professionals who want to build practical investigation skills using real-world workflows and realistic datasets. It’s also ideal for students and analysts entering the field who want hands-on experience recovering evidence, analyzing artifacts, and thinking like an investigator.

Cody Bounds is an investigator and expert witness with more than a decade of experience in digital forensic analysis and criminal investigations. He has a degree in Computer Information Systems and holds multiple related certifications from digital forensic and technology industry leaders including GIAC, IACIS, CompTIA, Magnet, and Cellebrite. Currently working a full-time law enforcement position within an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) affiliated task force and also providing contractual digital forensics training, he is devoted to teaching others and investigating those who seek to exploit children online.