Cyber Forensics

[Day 1] 2. Important File Locations

D
DITISS Admin
••3 min read

Outlook Folder and Extension:

  • The Outlook data file has the
    .pst
    extension and is typically stored in the
    AppData
    folder. The exact location varies for each user.

Data Recovery from SSDs:

  • Data recovery from failed SSDs is possible but more challenging due to the way SSDs handle data storage and wear leveling. Specialized tools and techniques may be required.

Partition IDs in Linux:

  • Linux Partition ID:
    83
  • Linux LVM:
    8e
  • Linux SWAP:
    82

Mounting a File System as Read-Only:

  • Command:
    mount -t auto -o ro /dev/sdb2 /test
    • By default, mount is read-write unless specified otherwise.

Checking the Sudoers List:

  • File:
    /etc/sudoers
    (Edit with caution, preferably using
    visudo
    ).

Viewing User History:

  • Check history files in the user’s home directory, such as
    .bash_history
    or
    .zsh_history
    .

Login Details:

  • File:
    /var/log/auth.log
  • Additional files may include those starting with
    auth.log
    followed by other extensions.
  • You can check the last login activity in
    lastlog
    file present in
    /var/log/
    , open it using the
    lastlog
    command.
  • Use
    /var/log/wtmp
    for detailed last login activity (
    last -f wtmp
    ).

OS Information:

  • Command:
    cat /etc/os-release

APT Package Installation History:

  • File:
    /var/log/apt/history.log

Hostname:

  • File:
    /etc/hostname

Locate vs Find Commands:

  • locate
    : Relies on a pre-built database for faster searches. Update the database with
    updatedb
    .
  • find
    : Provides real-time results and is installed by default.

Windows Registry Storage:

  • The Windows registry is stored in binary files, primarily located in
    C:\Windows\System32\Config
    .

Contents of the

.ssh
Directory:

  • id_rsa.pub
    : Public key.
  • id_rsa
    : Private key.
  • authorized_keys
    : Contains public keys that are allowed to connect.
  • known_hosts
    : Stores fingerprints of known servers.

IP Address and DNS Logs:

  • Assigned IP: Check
    /var/log/syslog
    .
  • DNS: File
    /etc/resolv.conf
    .

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