Virtualization and Forensics: A Digital Forensic Investigator's Guide to Virtual Environments

by Greg Kipper, Diane Barrett

Overview

Virtualization and Forensics: A Digital Forensic Investigators Guide to Virtual Environments offers an in-depth view into the world of virtualized environments and the implications they have on forensic investigations. Named a 2011 Best Digital Forensics Book by InfoSec Reviews, this guide gives you the end-to-end knowledge needed to identify server, desktop, and portable virtual environments, including: VMware, Parallels, Microsoft, and Sun. It covers technological advances in virtualization tools, methods, and issues in digital forensic investigations, and explores trends and emerging technologies surrounding virtualization technology.

This book consists of three parts. Part I explains the process of virtualization and the different types of virtualized environments. Part II details how virtualization interacts with the basic forensic process, describing the methods used to find virtualization artifacts in dead and live environments as well as identifying the virtual activities that affect the examination process. Part III addresses advanced virtualization issues, such as the challenges of virtualized environments, cloud computing, and the future of virtualization.

This book will be a valuable resource for forensic investigators (corporate and law enforcement) and incident response professionals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597495578
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	05/18/2010
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Gregory Kipper is a futurist and strategic forecaster in emerging technologies. He specialized in IT security and information assurance for 17 years, working for the last 11 years in the fields of digital forensics and the impacts emerging technologies have on crime and crime fighting. Mr. Kipper has been the keynote speaker at select industry events, a digital forensics instructor, and a trusted advisor to both the government and commercial sectors. He has published books in the fields of digital forensics and emerging technologies, including: "Investigator's Guide to Steganography," "Wireless Crime and Forensic Investigation," and "Virtualization and Forensics."

Diane Barrett has been a contract forensic examiner at ForenTech since Oct. 2006 and is Professor for Computer Forensics and Network Security programs at the University of Advancing Technology. Additionally, Diane is the Faculty Council Chair for the systems development group and teaches several short online classes for web-based learning sites such as HP and Forbes. CCNA, CISSP, ISSMP, IAM/IEM Certified Steganographer, CCE Certificate of completion.

Table of Contents

PART 1. VIRTUALIZATION
Chapter 1. How Virtualization Happens
Chapter 2. Server Virtualization
Chapter 3. Desktop Virtualization
Chapter 4. Portable Virtualization, Emulators, and Appliances

PART 2. FORENSICS
Chapter 5. Investigating Dead Virtual Environments
Chapter 6. Investigating Live Virtual Environments
Chapter 7. Finding and Imaging Virtual Environments

PART 3. ADVANCED VIRTUALIZATION
Chapter 8. Virtual Environments and Compliance
Chapter 9. Virtualization Challenges
Chapter 10. Cloud Computing and the Forensic Challenges
Chapter 11. Visions of the Future: Virtualization and Cloud Computing
Appendix: Performing Physical-to-Virtual and Virtual-to-Virtual Migrations

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From the Publisher

A digital forensic investigator’s guide to virtual environments.