Windows Forensic Analysis DVD Toolkit, Second Edition,   ISBN:9781597494229

Customer Rating: 

I read and reviewed the 1st Ed of this book in July 2007, and I just finished reading Windows Forensic Analysis 2nd Ed (WFA2E) this weekend. If your job involves investigating Windows systems, you must read this book. It's as simple as that. There is no substitute for this book. It also perfectly complements other solid forensics works already published.

The three main reasons why I liked the 1st Ed hold for the 2nd Ed. The subject matter is exactly what I wanted to read. WFA2E introduces a vast number of tools to help investigators implement the concepts explained by the author. Harlan brings a lot of experience to WFA. Of these three, I really appreciate Harlan's experience. He is constantly "in the fight" so he knows what works and what doesn't. He's been around so long that he knows what he's talking about. If he encounters a problem, he can either try fixing it himself or he is friends with someone who can work the issue. All of these characteristics shine in WFA2E.

I expect to see a 3rd Ed of this book in a few years, incorporating more Windows Vista and Windows 7 material. It might also be helpful to consider techniques for Windows Server and Mobile platforms in the 3rd Ed. Regardless, I will look forward to that book when it arrives because I enjoyed WFA1E and WFA2E so much.

Customer Rating: 

I've started reading or read a number of forensic books in the past two years. Though I have yet to read a specific Operating System forensic book, most have generally focused on Windows as the choice for forensic analysis. Of all the books that I have read, I would have to say that by far Windows Forensic Analysis DVD Toolkit second edition is the best.
The author is very thorough without beating a single tool to death. The author covers numerous tools, but continues to stress that having information from one tool does not give the investigator the `smoking gun' to solving the case. He stresses repeatedly that this is just adding another tool to the investigator's toolbox.
Many books are simply an attempt to sell their book by declaring that if you follow: step one, followed by step two, followed by step three etc. that you will suddenly be a master forensic investigator or incident handler. Harlan Carvery never says that reading this book will make you an expert, only that he hopes to enlighten the reader to new tools and techniques. The author makes it very clear that each tool is valuable, but the reader should find the tools that suite their own need and get the experience necessary to analyze the output.
The book jumps straight into the discussion of volatile data and the importance of capturing it as close to the instance of compromise as possible. I was pleased to see that the author made a point of emphasizing this. There is still a mindset in many situations that pulling the plug is the first thing to accomplish.
The first three chapters are a statement to the importance placed on collecting and analyzing the volatile portion of the incident. Though technically the first two chapters also cover information to tie in the remaining chapters there is always that focus of maintaining data as close to the point of compromise as possible.
The next three chapters cover the static files and registry that a Forensic Analyst will have to review and analyze. The author covers numerous tools as well as providing his tools and his preferences for use.
The last three chapters cover rootkits, tying it together with case studies and then finally Forensic Analysis on a budget.
Throughout the book the author makes references to papers, websites and other books that will provide a much more indepth discussion of the topics. In every chapter he provides a source for more up-to-date software than what is provided on the DVD.
The author includes numerous tools that are his personal scripts or scripts that he has modified for his use. For the most part his scripts are all Perl based, but again the author shows his flexibility and understanding when he explains why his tools are Perl and not something else. At no point does the author take a "this is the only right way to do it" attitude. It is refreshing to see an unbiased book that is primarily Windows oriented.
With all that being said I would say that grammatical editing could have been a little better. Even with these errors the book was definitely worth buying. We have a copy in our office and I am buying a copy for my own personal use. I would say that if you are doing Windows forensics or have an interest in learning about the current trends in Windows forensics you need to pick up a copy. It will be an invaluable resource.

Customer Rating: 

Harlan Carvey is one of the most prolific writers on compute forensics. He has a spare writing style that conveys information directly, without excursions. In short, he is a delight to read.

In this second edition of Windows Forensic Analysis, he broadens the territory to include live system response. His three chapters on the subject are interesting, but not of particular immediate interest to me since I have no call to do such. It is, however, helpful to have the information just in case and Carvey presents it in a coherent manner. His descriptions of the various available are quite good.

Harlan's chapters on Registry and File Analysis are worth far more than the price of the bok. He is one of the masters of the arcane innards of the Windows Registry and has written a power and useful tool, RegRipper, to make registry analysis far easier and more productive. These two chapters alone make this book a must-have for the active computer forensics examiner.

The chapters on Executable File Analysis and Rootkits, like the earlier chapters on live response will have limited application for many examiners. However, once again Carvey's writing style makes the information highly accessible and the chapters are worth reading solely to put their contents in your own memory.

Harlan is quite am accomplished Perl scripter and the accompanying DVD is crammed with useful Perl scripts he has written. As a courtesy, he has also included the scripts from the first edition of his book, which is very nice of him.

Harlan writes for the person with some experience in the field. For those people, Windows Forensic Analysis 2nd. Ed. Serves not only as a text, but as a quotable reference as well. There are actually very few solid texts on computer forensics. This is one of them.

Jerry

Customer Rating: 

As practicing investigators, we have seen the tide shift over the last few years - from a concentration on traditional disk acquisition and file analysis to a multifaceted practice that now includes techniques such as registry, memory, and binary analysis. The content within WFE 2E embraces this new wave of IR & forensics methodology and reflects Harlan's gift of presenting content in a meaningful and interesting way. As others have stated, WFE 2E is required reading for anyone in the IR & forensic field or those interested in breaking into this profession. We are lucky to have Harlan publishing quality content, such as Windows Forensic Analysis 2E.

Customer Rating: 

This is a book that anyone in the Incident Response or Computer Forensic arena HAS to have on their bookshelf. The breakdown of the chapters makes it a great reference book even after you've read it cover to cover. Harlan knows his Windows. :)

I had pre-ordered this book months before it even had a release date, and I bought a second copy just to keep at the office. IT IS JUST THAT GOOD!

And as soon as it's released for the Kindle, I'll be buying that version as well.