Forensics Tools

A list of free and open source forensics analysis tools and other resources.

• Forensics Tools
• Collections
• Tools
  • Distributions
  • Frameworks
  • Live forensics
  • Acquisition
  • Imageing
  • Carving
  • Memory Forensics
  • Network Forensics
  • Windows Artifacts
    • NTFS/MFT Processing
  • OS X Forensics
  • Mobile Forensics
  • Docker Forensics
  • Browser Artifacts
  • Timeline Analysis
  • Disk image handling
  • Decryption
  • Management
  • Picture Analysis
  • Steganography
  • Metadata Forensics
  • Website Forensics
• Learn Forensics
  • CTFs
• Resources
  • Books
  • File System Corpora
  • Twitter
  • Blogs
  • Other
• Related Awesome Lists

Collections

• DFIR – The definitive compendium project - Collection of forensic resources for learning and research. Offers lists of certifications, books, blogs, challenges and more
• DFIR-SQL-Query-Repo - Collection of SQL queries templates for digital forensics use by platform and application.
• dfir.training - Database of forensic resources focused on events, tools and more
• ⭐ ForensicArtifacts.com Artifact Repository - Machine-readable knowledge base of forensic artifacts

Tools

• Forensics tools on Wikipedia
• Eric Zimmerman's Tools

Challenges

• Blue Team Labs Online

Distributions

• bitscout - LiveCD/LiveUSB for remote forensic acquisition and analysis
• CAINE
• GRML-Forensic
• Remnux - Distro for reverse-engineering and analyzing malicious software
• ⭐SANS Investigative Forensics Toolkit (sift) - Linux distribution for forensic analysis
• Santoku Linux - Santoku is dedicated to mobile forensics, analysis, and security, and packaged in an easy to use, Open Source platform.
• Sumuri Paladin - Linux distribution that simplifies various forensics tasks in a forensically sound manner via the PALADIN Toolbox
• Tsurugi Linux - Linux distribution for forensic analysis
• WinFE - Windows Forensics enviroment
• Predator OS - Linux distribution for forensic analysis

Frameworks

• ⭐Autopsy - SleuthKit GUI
• dff - Forensic framework
• dexter - Dexter is a forensics acquisition framework designed to be extensible and secure
• IntelMQ - IntelMQ collects and processes security feeds
• Kuiper - Digital Investigation Platform
• Laika BOSS - Laika is an object scanner and intrusion detection system
• RegRippy - is a framework for reading and extracting useful forensics data from Windows registry hives.
• PowerForensics - PowerForensics is a framework for live disk forensic analysis
• ⭐ The Sleuth Kit - Tools for low level forensic analysis
• turbinia - Turbinia is an open-source framework for deploying, managing, and running forensic workloads on cloud platforms
• IPED - Indexador e Processador de Evidências Digitais - Brazilian Federal Police Tool for Forensic Investigations

Live forensics

• grr - GRR Rapid Response: remote live forensics for incident response
• Linux Expl0rer - Easy-to-use live forensics toolbox for Linux endpoints written in Python & Flask
• mig - Distributed & real time digital forensics at the speed of the cloud
• osquery - SQL powered operating system analytics

Acquisition

• artifactcollector - A customizable agent to collect forensic artifacts on any Windows, macOS or Linux system
• ArtifactExtractor - Extract common Windows artifacts from source images and VSCs
• AVML - A portable volatile memory acquisition tool for Linux
• DFIR ORC - Forensics artefact collection tool for systems running Microsoft Windows
• DumpIt -
• FastIR Collector - Collect artifacts on windows
• FireEye Memoryze
• Fuji - Graphical interface for the forensic logical acquisition of Mac computers
• LiME - Loadable Kernel Module (LKM), which allows the acquisition of volatile memory from Linux and Linux-based devices, formerly called DMD
• Magnet RAM Capture - is a free imaging tool designed to capture the physical memory
• ⭐RAM Capturer - by Belkasoft is a free tool to dump the data from a computer’s volatile memory. It’s compatible with Windows OS.
• UFADE - Extract files from Apple devices on Windows, Linux and MacOS. Mostly a wrapper for pymobiledevice3. Creates iTunes-style backups and "advanced logical backups"
• Velociraptor - Velociraptor is a tool for collecting host based state information using Velocidex Query Language (VQL) queries

Imageing

• ⭐BelkaImager - by Belkasoft allows you to create images of hard and removable disks, Android and iOS devices and download data from the cloud.
• dc3dd - Improved version of dd
• dcfldd - Different improved version of dd (this version has some bugs!, another version is on github adulau/dcfldd)
• FTK Imager - Free imageing tool for windows
• ⭐Guymager - Open source version for disk imageing on linux systems

Carving

• bstrings - Improved strings utility
• bulk_extractor - Extracts informations like email adresses, creditscard numbers and histrograms of disk images
• floss - Static analysis tool to automatically deobfuscate strings from malware binaries
• ⭐ photorec - File carving tool
• swap_digger - A bash script used to automate Linux swap analysis, automating swap extraction and searches for Linux user credentials, Web form credentials, Web form emails, etc.

Memory Forensics

• FireEye RedLine - provides host investigative capabilities to users to find signs of malicious activity through memory and file analysis and the development of a threat assessment profile.
• inVtero.net - High speed memory analysis framework developed in .NET supports all Windows x64, includes code integrity and write support
• KeeFarce - Extract KeePass passwords from memory
• MemProcFS - An easy and convenient way of accessing physical memory as files a virtual file system.
• Rekall - Memory Forensic Framework
• ⭐volatility - The memory forensic framework
• VolUtility - Web App for Volatility framework

Network Forensics

• NetworkMiner
• Xplico
• ⭐WireShark

Windows Artifacts

• Beagle - Transform data sources and logs into graphs
• CrowdResponse - by CrowdStrike is a static host data collection tool
• FRED - Cross-platform microsoft registry hive editor
• LastActivityView - LastActivityView by Nirsoftis a tool for Windows operating system that collects information from various sources on a running system, and displays a log of actions made by the user and events occurred on this computer.
• LogonTracer - Investigate malicious Windows logon by visualizing and analyzing Windows event log
• python-evt - Pure Python parser for classic Windows Event Log files (.evt)
• RegRipper3.0 - RegRipper is an open source Perl tool for parsing the Registry and presenting it for analysis.

NTFS/MFT Processing

• MFT-Parsers - Comparison of MFT-Parsers
• MFTExtractor - MFT-Parser
• NTFS journal parser
• NTFSTool - Complete NTFS forensics tool
• NTFS USN Journal parser
• RecuperaBit - Reconstruct and recover NTFS data
• python-ntfs - NTFS analysis

OS X Forensics

• APFS Fuse - is a read-only FUSE driver for the new Apple File System
• APOLLO
• Disk-Arbitrator - is a Mac OS X forensic utility designed to help the user ensure correct forensic procedures are followed during imaging of a disk device
• MAC OSX Artifacts - locations artifacts by mac4n6 group
• mac_apt (macOS Artifact Parsing Tool) - Extracts forensic artifacts from disk images or live machines
• MacLocationsScraper - Dump the contents of the location database files on iOS and macOS.
• macMRUParser - Python script to parse the Most Recently Used (MRU) plist files on macOS into a more human friendly format.
• OSXAuditor
• OSX Collect

Mobile Forensics

• Andriller - is software utility with a collection of forensic tools for smartphones. It performs read-only, forensically sound, non-destructive acquisition from Android devices
• ALEAPP - An Android Logs Events and Protobuf Parser
• iOS Frequent Locations Dumper - Dump the contents of the StateModel#.archive files located in /private/var/mobile/Library/Caches/com.apple.routined/
• MEAT - Perform different kinds of acquisitions on iOS devices
• MobSF - is an automated, all-in-one mobile application (Android/iOS/Windows) pen-testing, malware analysis and security assessment framework capable of performing static and dynamic analysis.
• OpenBackupExtractor - is an app for extracting data from iPhone and iPad backups.

Docker Forensics

• dof (Docker Forensics Toolkit) - Extracts and interprets forensic artifacts from disk images of Docker Host systems
• Docker Explorer Extracts and interprets forensic artifacts from disk images of Docker Host systems

Browser Artifacts

• ChromeCacheView - by Nirsoft is a small utility that reads the cache folder of Google Chrome Web browser, and displays the list of all files currently stored in the cache
• chrome-url-dumper - Dump all local stored infromation collected by Chrome
• Dumpzilla - extract all forensic interesting information of Firefox, Iceweasel and Seamonkey browsers
• hindsight - Internet history forensics for Google Chrome/Chromium
• unfurl - Extract and visualize data from URLs

Timeline Analysis

• DFTimewolf - Framework for orchestrating forensic collection, processing and data export using GRR and Rekall
• ⭐ plaso - Extract timestamps from various files and aggregate them
• timeliner - A rewrite of mactime, a bodyfile reader
• timesketch - Collaborative forensic timeline analysis

Disk image handling

• Disk Arbitrator - A Mac OS X forensic utility designed to help the user ensure correct forensic procedures are followed during imaging of a disk device
• imagemounter - Command line utility and Python package to ease the (un)mounting of forensic disk images
• libewf - Libewf is a library and some tools to access the Expert Witness Compression Format (EWF, E01)
• OSFMount - allows you to mount local disk image files (bit-for-bit copies of an entire disk or disk partition) in Windows as a physical disk or a logical drive
• PancakeViewer - Disk image viewer based in dfvfs, similar to the FTK Imager viewer.
• xmount - Convert between different disk image formats

Decryption

• hashcat - Fast password cracker with GPU support
• John the Ripper - Password cracker

Management

• dfirtrack - Digital Forensics and Incident Response Tracking application, track systems
• Incidents - Web application for organizing non-trivial security investigations. Built on the idea that incidents are trees of tickets, where some tickets are leads

Picture Analysis

• Ghiro - is a fully automated tool designed to run forensics analysis over a massive amount of images
• sherloq - An open-source digital photographic image forensic toolset

Steganography

• Binwalk - Binwalk is a fast, easy to use tool for analyzing, reverse engineering, and extracting firmware images.
• Foremost - is a program to recover files based on their headers and footers
• Sonicvisualizer
• Steghide - is a steganography program that hides data in various kinds of image and audio files
• Stegsolve - analyze images in different planes by taking off bits of the image
• Wavsteg - is a steganography program that hides data in various kinds of image and audio files
• Zsteg - A steganographic coder for WAV files
• Audacity - an easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder

Metadata Forensics

• ExifTool by Phil Harvey
• Exiv2 - Exiv2 is a Cross-platform C++ library and a command line utility to manage image metadata
• FOCA - FOCA is a tool used mainly to find metadata and hidden information in the documents

Website Forensics

• Freezing Internet Tool - Python 3 application for forensic acquisition of online content, including web pages, emails, and social media.

Learn forensics

• Forensic challenges - Mindmap of forensic challenges
• OpenLearn - Digital forensic course
• Training material - Online training material by European Union Agency for Network and Information Security for different topics (e.g. Digital forensics, Network forensics)

Challenges

• AnalystUnknown Cyber Range
• Champlain College DFIR CTF
• Corelight CTF
• CyberDefenders
• DefCon CTFs - archive of DEF CON CTF challenges.
• Forensics CTFs
• IncidentResponse Challenge
• MagnetForensics CTF Challenge
• MalwareTech Challenges
• MalwareTraffic Analysis
• MemLabs
• NW3C Chanllenges
• PivotProject
• Precision Widgets of North Dakota Intrusion
• ReverseEngineering Challenges
• SANS Forensics Challenges

Resources

Webs

• ForensicsFocus
• InsecInstitute Resources
• SANS Digital Forensics

Blogs

• Cyberforensics
• Cyberforensicator
• DigitalForensicsMagazine
• FlashbackData
• Netresec
• roDigitalForensics
• SANS Forensics Blog
• SecurityAffairs - blog by Pierluigi Paganini
• thisweekin4n6.wordpress.com - Weekly updates for forensics
• Zena Forensics

Books

more at Recommended Readings by Andrew Case

• Network Forensics: Tracking Hackers through Cyberspace - Learn to recognize hackers’ tracks and uncover network-based evidence
• The Art of Memory Forensics - Detecting Malware and Threats in Windows, Linux, and Mac Memory
• The Practice of Network Security Monitoring - Understanding Incident Detection and Response
• Cell Phone Investigations: Search Warrants, Cell Sites and Evidence Recovery - Cell Phone Investigations is the most comprehensive book written on cell phones, cell sites, and cell related data.

File System Corpora

• Digital Forensic Challenge Images - Two DFIR challenges with images
• Digital Forensics Tool Testing Images
• FAU Open Research Challenge Digital Forensics
• The CFReDS Project
  • Hacking Case (4.5 GB NTFS Image)

Twitter

• @4n6ist
• @aheadless
• @AppleExaminer - Apple OS X & iOS Digital Forensics
• @blackbagtech
• @carrier4n6 - Brian Carrier, author of Autopsy and the Sleuth Kit
• @CindyMurph - Detective & Digital Forensic Examiner
• @EricRZimmerman - Certified SANS Instructor
• @forensikblog - Computer forensic geek
• @HECFBlog - SANS Certified Instructor
• @Hexacorn - DFIR+Malware
• @hiddenillusion
• @iamevltwin - Mac Nerd, Forensic Analyst, Author & Instructor of SANS FOR518
• @jaredcatkinson - PowerShell Forensics
• @maridegrazia - Computer Forensics Examiner
• @sleuthkit
• @williballenthin
• @XWaysGuide

Other

• /r/computerforensics/ - Subreddit for computer forensics
• ForensicControl -
• ForensicPosters - Posters of file system structures
• HFS+ Resources
• mac4n6 Presentations - Presentation Archives for OS X and iOS Related Research
• SANS Forensics CheatSheets - Different CheatSheets from SANS
• SANS Digital Forensics Posters - Digital Forensics Posters from SANS
• SANS WhitePapers - White Papers written by forensic practitioners seeking GCFA, GCFE, and GREM Gold

Related Awesome Lists

• Android Security
• AppSec
• Awesome Forensics
• CTFs
• Hacking
• Honeypots
• Incident-Response
• Infosec
• Malware Analysis
• Pentesting
• Security
• Social Engineering
• YARA