The Operating Systems
A computer operating system is an essential parts of every forensic laboratory. A Forensic lab should have current licensing agreements with the vendor software that it uses. While keeping legacy operating systems license renewal extended for the life of the system used.
Team Andromeda will implement multiple operating systems within the forensic lab environment. The Operating Systems that the lab will deploy are the Windows OS, Linux and Apple Mac Operating systems. These three operating system will provide the basic operating system environment to support the software package that we plan on using. Within each operating systems presented there will be prior version used to run out of spec hardware that may currently be in use. Following is a brief summary of each of the operating systems and its purpose.
Windows
Microsoft Windows operating system is the standard operating used on PC’s by professional in the private and public sector. Windows has been in existence since its first commercial release in 1985 of Microsoft Windows 1.0. Windows has continued to be major operating system used by millions all around the world for its ease of use and its oversimplified intuitive interface.
The lab will have four PC”s running Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. The graph below is Windows Life cycle sheet displaying the current support Microsoft will provide to the customer market.
The Microsoft Windows Server
To support the Window
In our world today there are so many different types of operating systems as well as features and applications that run on them. There are many similarities as well as differences between Windows 7, Linux and Windows Server 2008. The one enduring similarity is that all three are intended to be utilized as an operating system is meant to.
Every computer installation is different. Although there are many common components and aspects, computer users can compile their system to their own desire. For this reason, it is the forensic examiner’s job to ensure that s/he has sufficient knowledge of a wide variety of hardware, software and operating systems. It is indeed possible to come across any combination of these components, and the examiner should be prepared to handle all of these. Due to the range of possibilities provided by live forensic analysis, forensic examiners only learn the principles of live acquisition and the effect that specific actions may have on the validity of the evidence. It is
For 30 years, Microsoft has been creating versions of Windows, an operating system for personal computers (PC’s). These versions of Windows, and other operating systems, have revolutionized today’s technology, allowing you to do things like surf the web, almost instantly receive messages, and even calculate the fastest route to somewhere! Microsoft Windows has rapidly evolved with today’s technology ever since 30 years ago.
Some of the versions released after Windows 1.01 are as follows: Windows 1.02, Windows 1.03, Windows 1.04, Windows 2.03, Windows 2.10, Windows 2.11, Windows 3.0, Windows 3.1, Windows NT 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows 3.2, Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 3.51,
When people think buying a new computer, they will normally call to mind about the Microsoft, Microsoft operating system use on more than 90% computer in the world. Microsoft operating system is more users friendly. Microsoft operating system can compatible with more software compare to other competitor
Twenty systems will initially be imaged for Linux and configured to run on the existing network environment. A testing group will be compiled from departments across the organization to determine how the operating system meets user needs in various departments. After a ten day testing period, any problems identified can be resolved as required to support a seamless transition. The phased migration can then be completed 50 systems at a time, cycling the Linux systems in and the XP systems out. As the XP systems are collected, Linux will be installed on them to continue with the phased concept. Diagram B displays how the systems will be tested, configured and distributed. Additional factors need to be taken into consideration for this project
By performing the tasks required in this lab, many other attributes, references, and system information was gleaned that will benefit forensic efforts in the future. For this lab, the time zone of the computer has been isolated to China Standard Time, which in itself is suspicious. BHOs and add-ins were also located using registry values. Among this, there was only a reference to Bing Bar, which was identified in an earlier lab as a download performed on Jane’s computer. Moreover, this lab uncovered startup applications (UPnP.exe and SCVHhost.exe) that were identified as potentially suspicious in previous labs. Lastly, this lab allowed the student to locate USB storage devices that were connected to Jane’s system as well as the times associated with the connection and removal of the device in the system’s
Windows Vista OS is an operating systems by Microsoft to work with home/office desktops, notebooks, tablet PCs, and other media center PCs. Windows Vista entails several alternate changes, and, latest features and alternatives such as; an updated graphical UI named Windows Aero, a revised search feature, multimedia tools for example Windows DVD Maker and a renovated networking, audio, print, and display sub-system version. Vista aim is to better the level of communication between devices on home networks, using sophisticated peer-to-peer technology so as to enable sharing files and digital media between computer systems and devices.
Microsoft has been the world leader with respects to computer Operating Systems Software, and has increasingly become more efficient and precise with each release. Microsoft released their first version of the Windows Software (November 20th, 1985). This operating system was an anomaly at the time, and has progressed to the point that it is used worldwide on most computers in the world. All of the leading competitors have used Windows as a benchmark and have either copied its features or expanded upon them.
Computers are common tools used by the culprits behind white-collar crimes. In order to find “culprits,” the forensic accountant will need to be able to dig deep into the company’s computer system. However, without the proper equipment, that process can prove to be very difficult. To facilitate the preservation, collection, analysis, and documentation of evidence, forensic accountants can use specialized software and computer hardware.
The OS provides digital forensic investigators with the primary application where the files, folders, and logs of every event that has occurred involving the suspect’s information system can be located. Furthermore, this information can be utilized by the investigator’s to understand how incidents like network intrusion, malware installation, and insider file deletions have occurred. As a result, OS’s is the location where relevant information on incidents or unlawful activities can be discovered with the proper collection and examination
An extremely important computer forensic service is the preservation of evidence. In this step a forensic image is made of all pertinent data. This image is actually what is being analyzed and the original source where the data was extracted is put in a safe and confidential environment. The security and authenticity of this information is analyzed very carefully and handled only by a digital forensics expert.
Incident response and forensics investigations are closely related aspects of managing the activities that occurs after an information technology (IT) incident occurs. In this paper, we will explore the various aspects of incident response and forensics as they apply to an IT incident and by examining the details in the enclosed case study, we will show how those aspects apply to that situation. To begin with, we will discuss the differences between incident response and forensic activities. Next, we will cover some of the challenges involved with first responder handling of evidence as it applies to incident response and computer forensics. We will also be covering some of the steps required for a comprehensive forensics and incident response plan. Additionally, we will outline the steps required for effective integration of forensics and incident response procedures in externally contracted forensic situations. Lastly, we will present a brief evaluation of the incident response resources available to manage incident response and forensics activities.
First, Microsoft Windows. Microsoft began its dominance in the early 80s by developing DOS also known as disk operating system. This is the first operating system made for a PC. Then came Windows 9X which was later called Windows 95. Then it
Windows Operating System was developed by Microsoft Corporation, released its first version of Windows in 1985 and it was simply a Graphical User Interface which was offered as an extension to existing MS-DOS. In 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP, which offered various windows packages with multiple editions for business, consumers, developers etc. In 2009 Microsoft developed Windows 7, and its interface was similar to that of Vista and it met different modest system requirements and better speed improvement. In 2012, Windows 8 was released with new User Interface and number of enhancements. It has better advantages like multi-core processing, touch screens and other input methods. In 2015, Microsoft released Windows 10. The OS is designed in such a way to have a consistent interface across various user devices like PC’s, laptops, phones and tablets.