homepage
Menu
Open menu
  • Training
    Go one level top Back

    Training

    • Courses

      Build cyber prowess with training from renowned experts

    • Hands-On Simulations

      Hands-on learning exercises keep you at the top of your cyber game

    • Certifications

      Demonstrate cybersecurity expertise with GIAC certifications

    • Ways to Train

      Multiple training options to best fit your schedule and preferred learning style

    • Training Events & Summits

      Expert-led training at locations around the world

    • Free Training Events

      Upcoming workshops, webinars and local events

    • Security Awareness

      Harden enterprise security with end-user and role-based training

    Featured: Solutions for Emerging Risks

    Discover tailored resources that translate emerging threats into actionable strategies

    Risk-Based Solutions

    Can't find what you are looking for?

    Let us help.
    Contact us
  • Learning Paths
    Go one level top Back

    Learning Paths

    • By Focus Area

      Chart your path to job-specific training courses

    • By NICE Framework

      Navigate cybersecurity training through NICE framework roles

    • DoDD 8140 Work Roles

      US DoD 8140 Directive Frameworks

    • By European Skills Framework

      Align your enterprise cyber skills with ECSF profiles

    • By Skills Roadmap

      Find the right training path based on critical skills

    • New to Cyber

      Give your cybersecurity career the right foundation for success

    • Leadership

      Training designed to help security leaders reduce organizational risk

    • Degree and Certificate Programs

      Gain the skills, certifications, and confidence to launch or advance your cybersecurity career.

    Featured

    New to Cyber resources

    Start your career
  • Community Resources
    Go one level top Back

    Community Resources

    Watch & Listen

    • Webinars
    • Live Streams
    • Podcasts

    Read

    • Blog
    • Newsletters
    • White Papers
    • Internet Storm Center

    Download

    • Open Source Tools
    • Posters & Cheat Sheets
    • Policy Templates
    • Summit Presentations
    • SANS Community Benefits

      Connect, learn, and share with other cybersecurity professionals

    • CISO Network

      Engage, challenge, and network with fellow CISOs in this exclusive community of security leaders

  • For Organizations
    Go one level top Back

    For Organizations

    Team Development

    • Why Partner with SANS
    • Group Purchasing
    • Skills & Talent Assessments
    • Private & Custom Training

    Leadership Development

    • Leadership Courses & Accreditation
    • Executive Cybersecurity Exercises
    • CISO Network

    Security Awareness

    • End-User Training
    • Phishing Simulation
    • Specialized Role-Based Training
    • Risk Assessments
    • Public Sector Partnerships

      Explore industry-specific programming and customized training solutions

    • Sponsorship Opportunities

      Sponsor a SANS event or research paper

    Interested in developing a training plan to fit your organization’s needs?

    We're here to help.
    Contact us
  • Talk with an expert
  • Log In
  • Join - it's free
  • Account
    • Account Dashboard
    • Log Out
  1. Home >
  2. Blog >
  3. Memory Forensic Acquisition and Analysis 101
370x370_Rob-Lee.jpg
Rob Lee

Memory Forensic Acquisition and Analysis 101

November 19, 2008

Stop Pulling The Plug!!

Over the past several years, many tools have been released that have focused on memory acquisition from Windows systems. The next step in memory forensics is analysis. Starting with the DFRWS 2005 challenge, memory forensic analysis began a life that went beyond a rudimentary string search or data carve. Analysts were finally able to extract process related data from memory captured from a machine.

In 2008, this culminated with many professionals stating at the SANS Forensic Summit that the day of "pulling the plug" during evidence acquisition is no longer acceptable. In fact, in my discussions with law enforcement, many are already obtaining memory captures during evidence seizure.

usss1.jpg
USSS Best Practices

In some cases, it is recommended that the individual seizing the computer system utilize a friendly neighborhood geek computer specialist to help, but it does not specifically state what the specialist should accomplish. Given the relative importance of collecting memory, it should be taught in basic forensic courses. To that end, it is also one of the reasons I am including a section on basic memory acquisition in the introductory SEC408 - Forensic and eDiscovery Essentials course due out next year.

What I would like to demonstrate in this article is how to acquire memory from a hacked Windows machine and perform an audit of the machine's process listing and network connections using Memoryze and Volatility.

What are some of the tools now available for an investigator to use for memory acquisition?

fau dd.exe, Mantech mdd, win32dd, and the recently released Mandiant Memoryze.

I had previously worked with the FAU dd.exe, mdd and win32dd for quite some time so I wanted to explore the capabilities of Memoryze which include both analysis and acquisition capabilities. FAU's dd.exe no longer has a built-in memory acquisition mode.

This year has seen many tools released that allow for memory analysis. Memoryze is a new tool co-written by Mandiant's Peter Silberman and Jamie Butler and provides a wonderful new capability for the incident responder where both acquisition and analysis of memory can be accomplished via a single tool. Memoryze, is derived from the core processing engine of the Mandiant created enterprise product called Mandiant Intelligent Response or MIR for short.

Volatility is another awesome tool that can analyze collected memory images from tools like mdd, win32dd, or Memoryze. Volatility was written by Aaron Walters and can be also downloaded as an intergal part of the SANS SIFT Workstation.

The case: A Windows XP SP3 system with a rootkit hiding a process and network connections

After working with Memoryze and Volatility for a few days, I found myself convinced that this was going to shift responders away from using traditional incident response and forensic process tools. Typically, a responder would use native or sysinternals tools to obtain a listing of running processes and network connections.

What will incident responders use instead? For process and network enumeration, they will probably lean completely on memory acquisition and analysis. Why? It is arguably better for forensic integrity of the live machine. You run a single tool to acquire system memory from a live machine versus running many smaller tools such as pslist and fport to accomplish the same thing but with lackluster results if a rootkit is installed.

To demonstrate: I started with an installation of Windows XP and installed nc.exe and the Hacker Defender rootkit. I added netcat to the startup registry key and had it listening on port 22201 where it would execute a command prompt (cmd.exe) if anyone connected to that port. Before I used the rootkit, I could easily see that I had started a nc.exe process running. Using Hacker Defender, I hid the process, files, and network connections from prying eyes. When hacker defender is running, the process name is called hxdef100.exe.

Using traditional incident response tools, I see the following output from fport and pslist.

fport.jpg
output from fport and pslist.

fport incident response tool output from Windows XP box with Hacker Defender installed

Notice that there is no listening port 22201.

pslist.jpg
fport incident response tool output from Windows XP

pslist incident response tool output from a Windows XP machine with Hacker Defender rootkit installed

Notice that there are no visible processes called hxdef100.exe or nc.exe.

Acquiring Memory

This is where tools such as Memoryze or Volatility are indispensable in the incident response/forensic world. Simply acquire the memory image and analyze offline.

After I installed Memoryze on a USB key, I plugged in the USB key and acquired memory using the batch script called Memorydd.bat which is included with Memoryze.

You could also use mdd or win32dd to acquire memory. All three memory images could be analyzed using the analysis tools in Memoryze and Volatility.

memoryze2.jpg
Memoryze Memory Acquisition
mdd1.jpg
mdd Memory Acquisition

Analyzing Processes in Memory Using Memoryze

Once I acquired the memory image, I performed some additional analysis against it. This enabled me to look at the processes in memory similar to the output in fport and pslist by using another batch script included with Memoryze called process.bat that can be executed on a WinXP analysis machine.

process1.jpg
Executing process.bat with the -ports option set to true

Once I executed process.bat, I saw that it created an xml based output file which is not easy to read by itself. Luckily, the output file is easily imported into Excel 2007 where the results can be examined.

xmlprocess_list1.jpg
Using Excel to Import the Memoryze XML Result Document and Analyzing Results

Notice the nc.exe process listening on port 22201. Also notice the hxdef100.exe process. Compare that to the previous process list by pslist where those same processes were not listed.

Analyzing Processes in Memory Using Volatility

Again utilizing the same memory images, you can use the Volatility installed with the SANS SIFT Workstation.

First we run Volatility examine the process list from any of the memory images.

vol_pslist1.jpg
Running Volatility with the pslist command

The output from the command above shows the two processes that were hidden by the Hacker Defender rootkit.

vol_pslist_out1.jpg
Volatility pslist output showing the two hidden processes (hackdef100.exe and nc.exe)

And finally using Volatility to show the nc.exe process has an open connection listening on port 22201.

vol_connscan3.jpg
Volatility running with the connscan command showing the nc.exe process listening on port 22201.

What does this all mean for Incident Response and Forensics in the future?

It is a good idea to obtain memory for several reasons:

  1. You can enumerate the processes and network connection by obtaining the memory snapshot and analyzing it offline.
  2. If a rootkit is installed and it is actively hiding processes and network connections, you will have a better chance of finding them through analyzing memory than by utilizing native tools such as pslist and fport.
  3. Memory analysis has a good chance at becoming the incident response and forensic professional's first line tool.

Tools such as Memoryze and Volatility are helping analysts and crime fighters win the argument about why it is important to acquire memory before pulling the plug. Analysts now have both a means of acquisition and a means of analysis. I could go on about what else you could do with these tools as there is more... much more to be shared next time.

Rob Lee is a Principal Consultant for MANDIANT, a leading provider of information security consulting services and software to Fortune 500 organizations and the U.S. Government. Rob has over 12 years experience in computer forensics, vulnerability discovery, intrusion detection and incident response. Rob is the lead course author and faculty fellow for the computer forensic courses at the SANS Institute.

Share:
TwitterLinkedInFacebook
Copy url Url was copied to clipboard
Subscribe to SANS Newsletters
Receive curated news, vulnerabilities, & security awareness tips
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Spain
Belgium
Denmark
Norway
Netherlands
Australia
India
Japan
Singapore
Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Cote D'ivoire
Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard And McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea, Republic Of
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States Of
Moldova, Republic Of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Bartholemy
Saint Kitts And Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome And Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
St. Pierre And Miquelon
Suriname
Svalbard And Jan Mayen Islands
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania, United Republic Of
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad And Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks And Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City State
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Wallis And Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

By providing this information, you agree to the processing of your personal data by SANS as described in our Privacy Policy.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Tags:
  • Digital Forensics, Incident Response & Threat Hunting

Related Content

Blog
Blog Teaser: Shoplifting2.0 340x340.jpg
Digital Forensics, Incident Response & Threat Hunting
May 21, 2025
Shoplifting 2.0: When it’s Data the Thieves Steal
Identify steps organisations can implement to protect against Scattered Spider and DragonForce
Adam Harrison
Adam Harrison
read more
Blog
emerging threats summit 340x340.png
Digital Forensics, Incident Response & Threat Hunting, Offensive Operations, Pen Testing, and Red Teaming, Cyber Defense, Industrial Control Systems Security, Cybersecurity Leadership
May 14, 2025
Visual Summary of SANS Emerging Threats Summit 2025
Check out these graphic recordings created in real-time throughout the event for SANS Emerging Threats Summit 2025
No Headshot Available
Alison Kim
read more
Blog
powershell_option_340x340.jpg
Cyber Defense, Digital Forensics, Incident Response & Threat Hunting, Cybersecurity and IT Essentials, Offensive Operations, Pen Testing, and Red Teaming
July 12, 2022
Month of PowerShell - Windows File Server Enumeration
In this Month of PowerShell article we look at several commands to interrogate Windows SMB servers as part of our incident response toolkit.
Josh Wright - Headshot - 370x370 2025.jpg
Joshua Wright
read more
  • Company
  • Mission
  • Instructors
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Press
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Policies
  • Training Programs
  • Work Study
  • Academies & Scholarships
  • Public Sector Partnerships
  • Law Enforcement
  • SkillsFuture Singapore
  • Degree Programs
  • Get Involved
  • Join the Community
  • Become an Instructor
  • Become a Sponsor
  • Speak at a Summit
  • Join the CISO Network
  • Award Programs
  • Partner Portal
Subscribe to SANS Newsletters
Receive curated news, vulnerabilities, & security awareness tips
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Spain
Belgium
Denmark
Norway
Netherlands
Australia
India
Japan
Singapore
Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Cote D'ivoire
Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard And McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea, Republic Of
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States Of
Moldova, Republic Of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Bartholemy
Saint Kitts And Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome And Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
St. Pierre And Miquelon
Suriname
Svalbard And Jan Mayen Islands
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania, United Republic Of
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad And Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks And Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City State
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Wallis And Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

By providing this information, you agree to the processing of your personal data by SANS as described in our Privacy Policy.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
  • Contact
  • Careers
© 2025 The Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies, Inc. d/b/a SANS Institute. Our Terms and Conditions detail our trademark and copyright rights. Any unauthorized use is expressly prohibited.
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn