SPR700 - Digital Forensics and Incident Response Investigation

Outline info
Semester
School
Last revision date 2020-10-30 11:39:15.957
Last review date 2020-10-30 11:39:15.958


Subject Title
Digital Forensics and Incident Response Investigation

Subject Description
Despite best efforts, evolving computer threats mean that network defenses are frequently penetrated and security incidents have become a regular occurrence in our I.T. infrastructures. It is accepted that it is a matter of when, rather than if, an incident will occur. This course covers various aspects of computer incident response. Topics include incident response preparedness, incident detection and characterization, data collection, data analysis and remediation. 

Credit Status
One Credit

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this subject the student will be able to:

  1. Develop an incident response framework to enable organizations to respond to cyber incidents
  2. Describe an incident response team structure to identify team dependencies and integration within the organization
  3. Design incident response playbooks for known incident types to ensure effective plan, and escalation procedure is in in place
  4. Utilize knowledge of legal aspects of incident response and rules of evidence, to ensure proper legal and regulatory compliance
  5. Analyze evidence to identify attack patterns and indicators
  6.  Develop software tools to automate respond in order to expedite the containment process

Essential Employability Skills

    •  Communicate clearly, concisely and correctly in the written, spoken and visual form that fulfils the purpose and meets the needs of the audience.

    •  Respond to written, spoken, or visual messages in a manner that ensures effective communication.

    •  Execute mathematical operations accurately.

    •  Apply a systematic approach to solve problems.

    •  Use a variety of thinking skills to anticipate and solve problems.

    •  Locate, select, organize, and document information using appropriate technology and information systems.

    •  Analyze, evaluate, and apply relevant information from a variety of sources.

    •  Show respect for diverse opinions, values, belief systems, and contributions of others.

    •  Interact with others in groups or teams in ways that contribute to effective working relationships and the achievement of goals.

    •  Manage the use of time and other resources to complete projects.

    •  Take responsibility for one's own actions, decisions, and consequences.

Academic Integrity
Seneca upholds a learning community that values academic integrity, honesty, fairness, trust, respect, responsibility and courage. These values enhance Seneca's commitment to deliver high-quality education and teaching excellence, while supporting a positive learning environment. Ensure that you are aware of Seneca's Academic Integrity Policy which can be found at: http://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/academic-integrity-policy.html Review section 2 of the policy for details regarding approaches to supporting integrity. Section 2.3 and Appendix B of the policy describe various sanctions that can be applied, if there is suspected academic misconduct (e.g., contract cheating, cheating, falsification, impersonation or plagiarism).

Please visit the Academic Integrity website http://open2.senecac.on.ca/sites/academic-integrity/for-students to understand and learn more about how to prepare and submit work so that it supports academic integrity, and to avoid academic misconduct.

Discrimination/Harassment
All students and employees have the right to study and work in an environment that is free from discrimination and/or harassment. Language or activities that defeat this objective violate the College Policy on Discrimination/Harassment and shall not be tolerated. Information and assistance are available from the Student Conduct Office at student.conduct@senecapolytechnic.ca.

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
The College will provide reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities in order to promote academic success. If you require accommodation, contact the Counselling and Accessibility Services Office at ext. 22900 to initiate the process for documenting, assessing and implementing your individual accommodation needs.

Camera Use and Recordings - Synchronous (Live) Classes
Synchronous (live) classes may be delivered in person, in a Flexible Learning space, or online through a Seneca web conferencing platform such as MS Teams or Zoom. Flexible Learning spaces are equipped with cameras, microphones, monitors and speakers that capture and stream instructor and student interactions, providing an in-person experience for students choosing to study online.

Students joining a live class online may be required to have a working camera in order to participate, or for certain activities (e.g. group work, assessments), and high-speed broadband access (e.g. Cable, DSL) is highly recommended. In the event students encounter circumstances that impact their ability to join the platform with their camera on, they should reach out to the professor to discuss. Live classes may be recorded and made available to students to support access to course content and promote student learning and success.

By attending live classes, students are consenting to the collection and use of their personal information for the purposes of administering the class and associated coursework. To learn more about Seneca's privacy practices, visit Privacy Notice.

Prerequisite(s)
n/a

Topic Outline

  • Incident response framework components
  • Incident response plan and procedure structure
  • Incident response playbook components, sample playbook design
  • Digital forensics process fundamentals
  • Review MITRE ATT&CK and associate different APTs to different tactics and techniques
  • Network evidence collection and analysis using packet capture tools and Splunk
  • Host-based evidence collection and analysis using Volatility, Rekall and FTK
  • End-point and network level hunting using sysmon, Caldera, GRR, OSquery and Splunk
  • Perform hunting using Redline
  • Develop automated playbooks using commercial or open source technologies for rapid containment and response
  • Identify proper list of stakeholders to coordinate information sharing inside and outside of an organization
  • List activities needed to handle cyber incidents, including in preparation, detection, analysis, containment, recovery and post incident
  • Apply network evidence collection and analysis to identify attack patterns and indicators at network level
  • Apply host-based evidence collection and analysis, in memory and at hard disk, to identify attack patterns and indicators at end point level

Mode of Instruction
Classroom and Lab

Prescribed Texts
Incident Response & Computer Forensics, ed. 3 (2014)
by Luttgens, Pepe, and Mandia
published by McGraw Hill Education
ISBN: 978-0-07-179868-6
 
Crafting the InfoSec Playbook: Security Monitoring and Incident Response Master Plan
by Jeff Bollinger, Brandon Enright, Matthew Valites (May 24 2015)
published by O'Reilly Media
ISBN: 978-1491949405
 
Blue Team Handbook: Incident Response Edition
by Don Murdoch (2014)
self-published
ISBN-13: 978-150073475

Reference Material
n/a

Required Supplies
n/a

Student Progression and Promotion Policy
http://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/student-progression-and-promotion-policy.html

Grading Policyhttp://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/grading-policy.html)

A+90%  to  100%
A80%  to  89%
B+75%  to  79%
B70%  to  74%
C+65%  to  69%
C60%  to  64%
D+55%  to  59%
D50%  to  54%
F0%    to  49% (Not a Pass)
OR
EXCExcellent
SATSatisfactory
UNSATUnsatisfactory

For further information, see a copy of the Academic Policy, available online (http://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/about/policies/academics-and-student-services.html) or at Seneca's Registrar's Offices.(https://www.senecapolytechnic.ca/registrar.html)


Modes of Evaluation

Type of Assessment Weighting
Assignments (minimum of 2)       25%
Labs (minimum of 6)          20%
Practical test(s) (minimum of one) 20%
Final project 35%
Total 100%

 
 

Approved by: Suzanne Abraham