Difference between pages "Ddrescue" and "Open Research Topics"
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| − | + | Interested in doing research in computer forensics? Looking for a master's topic, or just some ideas for a research paper? Here is our list. Please feel free to add your own ideas. | |
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| − | ' | + | Many of these would make a nice master's project. |
| − | + | =Programming Projects= | |
| − | + | ==Small-Sized Programming Projects== | |
| − | + | * Modify [[bulk_extractor]] so that it can directly acquire a raw device under Windows. This requires replacing the current ''open'' function call with a ''CreateFile'' function call and using windows file handles. | |
| − | + | * Rewrite SleuthKit '''sorter''' in C++ to make it faster and more flexible. | |
| − | + | ==Medium-Sized Programming Projects== | |
| + | * Create a program that visualizes the contents of a file, sort of like hexedit, but with other features: | ||
| + | ** Automatically pull out the strings | ||
| + | ** Show histogram | ||
| + | ** Detect crypto and/or stenography. | ||
| + | * Extend [[fiwalk]] to report the NTFS alternative data streams. | ||
| + | * Create a method to detect NTFS-compressed cluster blocks on a disk (RAW data stream). A method could be to write a generic signature to detect the beginning of NTFS-compressed file segments on a disk. This method is useful in carving and scanning for textual strings. | ||
| + | * Write a FUSE-based mounter for SleuthKit, so that disk images can be forensically mounted using TSK. | ||
| + | * Modify SleuthKit's API so that the physical location on disk of compressed files can be learned. | ||
| − | + | ==Medium-Sized Research Projects== | |
| + | * Develop an image processing program that can reliably detect screen shots. (Screen shots are useful to find on a hard drive because they can imply the presence of a remote control or surveillance program.) | ||
| − | + | ==Big Programming Projects== | |
| + | * Develop a new carver with a plug-in architecture and support for fragment reassembly carving (see [[Carver 2.0 Planning Page]]). Also, have a look at my ([mailto:rainer.poisel@gmail.com Rainer Poisel]) file carver: [https://github.com/rpoisel/mmc Multimedia File Carver]. It allows for the reassembly of fragmented files (multimedia files and digital images at the moment). Please feel free to contact me in case you want to contribute to this emerging project! | ||
| + | * Write a new timeline viewer that supports Logfile fusion (with offsets) and provides the ability to view the logfile in the frequency domain. | ||
| − | + | * Correlation Engine: | |
| − | + | ** Logfile correlation | |
| − | + | ** Document identity identification | |
| + | ** Correlation between stored data and intercept data | ||
| + | ** Online Social Network Analysis | ||
| − | + | * Find and download in a forensically secure manner all of the information in a social network (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) associated with a targeted individual. | |
| + | ** Determine who is searching for a targeted individual. This might be done with a honeypot, or documents with a tracking device in them, or some kind of covert Facebook App. | ||
| + | ** Automated grouping/annotation of low-level events, e.g. access-time, log-file entry, to higher-level events, e.g. program start, login | ||
| − | === | + | =Reverse-Engineering Projects= |
| − | + | ==Reverse-Engineering Projects== | |
| − | === | + | === Application analysis === |
| − | + | * Reverse the on-disk structure of the [[Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) Database File (EDB) format]] to learn: | |
| + | ** Fill in the missing information about older ESE databases | ||
| + | ** Exchange EDB (MAPI database), STM | ||
| + | ** Active Directory (Active Directory working document available on request) | ||
| + | * Reverse the on-disk structure of the Lotus [[Notes Storage Facility (NSF)]] | ||
| + | * Reverse the on-disk structure of Microsoft SQL Server databases | ||
| − | + | === Volume/File System analysis === | |
| − | + | * Analysis of inter snapshot changes in [[Windows Shadow Volumes]] | |
| − | + | * Add support to SleuthKit for [[FAT|eXFAT]], Microsoft's new FAT file system. | |
| − | + | * Add support to SleuthKit for [[Resilient File System (ReFS)|ReFS]]. | |
| − | + | * Modify SleuthKit's NTFS implementation to support NTFS encrypted files (EFS) | |
| − | + | * Extend SleuthKit's implementation of NTFS to cover Transaction NTFS (TxF) (see [[NTFS]]) | |
| − | + | * Physical layer access to flash storage (requires reverse-engineering proprietary APIs for flash USB and SSD storage.) | |
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| − | === | + | ==EnCase Enhancement== |
| − | + | * Develop an EnScript that allows you to script EnCase from Python. (You can do this because EnScripts can run arbitrary DLLs. The EnScript calls the DLL. Each "return" from the DLL is a specific EnCase command to execute. The EnScript then re-enters the DLL.) | |
| − | + | = Timeline analysis = | |
| − | + | * Mapping differences and similarities in multiple versions of a system, e.g. those created by [[Windows Shadow Volumes]] but not limited to | |
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| − | + | =Research Areas= | |
| − | + | These are research areas that could easily grow into a PhD thesis. | |
| − | + | * General-purpose detection of: | |
| − | + | ** Stegnography | |
| + | ** Sanitization attempts | ||
| + | ** Evidence Falsification (perhaps through inconsistency in file system allocations, application data allocation, and log file analysis. | ||
| + | * Visualization of data/information in digital forensic context | ||
| + | * SWOT of current visualization techniques in forensic tools; improvements; feasibility of 3D representation; | ||
| − | + | __NOTOC__ | |
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| − | + | [[Category:Research]] | |
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Revision as of 10:38, 14 October 2012
Interested in doing research in computer forensics? Looking for a master's topic, or just some ideas for a research paper? Here is our list. Please feel free to add your own ideas.
Many of these would make a nice master's project.
Programming Projects
Small-Sized Programming Projects
- Modify bulk_extractor so that it can directly acquire a raw device under Windows. This requires replacing the current open function call with a CreateFile function call and using windows file handles.
- Rewrite SleuthKit sorter in C++ to make it faster and more flexible.
Medium-Sized Programming Projects
- Create a program that visualizes the contents of a file, sort of like hexedit, but with other features:
- Automatically pull out the strings
- Show histogram
- Detect crypto and/or stenography.
- Extend fiwalk to report the NTFS alternative data streams.
- Create a method to detect NTFS-compressed cluster blocks on a disk (RAW data stream). A method could be to write a generic signature to detect the beginning of NTFS-compressed file segments on a disk. This method is useful in carving and scanning for textual strings.
- Write a FUSE-based mounter for SleuthKit, so that disk images can be forensically mounted using TSK.
- Modify SleuthKit's API so that the physical location on disk of compressed files can be learned.
Medium-Sized Research Projects
- Develop an image processing program that can reliably detect screen shots. (Screen shots are useful to find on a hard drive because they can imply the presence of a remote control or surveillance program.)
Big Programming Projects
- Develop a new carver with a plug-in architecture and support for fragment reassembly carving (see Carver 2.0 Planning Page). Also, have a look at my (Rainer Poisel) file carver: Multimedia File Carver. It allows for the reassembly of fragmented files (multimedia files and digital images at the moment). Please feel free to contact me in case you want to contribute to this emerging project!
- Write a new timeline viewer that supports Logfile fusion (with offsets) and provides the ability to view the logfile in the frequency domain.
- Correlation Engine:
- Logfile correlation
- Document identity identification
- Correlation between stored data and intercept data
- Online Social Network Analysis
- Find and download in a forensically secure manner all of the information in a social network (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) associated with a targeted individual.
- Determine who is searching for a targeted individual. This might be done with a honeypot, or documents with a tracking device in them, or some kind of covert Facebook App.
- Automated grouping/annotation of low-level events, e.g. access-time, log-file entry, to higher-level events, e.g. program start, login
Reverse-Engineering Projects
Reverse-Engineering Projects
Application analysis
- Reverse the on-disk structure of the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) Database File (EDB) format to learn:
- Fill in the missing information about older ESE databases
- Exchange EDB (MAPI database), STM
- Active Directory (Active Directory working document available on request)
- Reverse the on-disk structure of the Lotus Notes Storage Facility (NSF)
- Reverse the on-disk structure of Microsoft SQL Server databases
Volume/File System analysis
- Analysis of inter snapshot changes in Windows Shadow Volumes
- Add support to SleuthKit for eXFAT, Microsoft's new FAT file system.
- Add support to SleuthKit for ReFS.
- Modify SleuthKit's NTFS implementation to support NTFS encrypted files (EFS)
- Extend SleuthKit's implementation of NTFS to cover Transaction NTFS (TxF) (see NTFS)
- Physical layer access to flash storage (requires reverse-engineering proprietary APIs for flash USB and SSD storage.)
EnCase Enhancement
- Develop an EnScript that allows you to script EnCase from Python. (You can do this because EnScripts can run arbitrary DLLs. The EnScript calls the DLL. Each "return" from the DLL is a specific EnCase command to execute. The EnScript then re-enters the DLL.)
Timeline analysis
- Mapping differences and similarities in multiple versions of a system, e.g. those created by Windows Shadow Volumes but not limited to
Research Areas
These are research areas that could easily grow into a PhD thesis.
- General-purpose detection of:
- Stegnography
- Sanitization attempts
- Evidence Falsification (perhaps through inconsistency in file system allocations, application data allocation, and log file analysis.
- Visualization of data/information in digital forensic context
- SWOT of current visualization techniques in forensic tools; improvements; feasibility of 3D representation;
