Detect and investigate various cyber threats and techniques carried out by malicious actors by analyzing logs generated from different sources Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Key Features Understand and analyze various modern cyber threats and attackers' techniques Gain in-depth knowledge of email security, Windows, firewall, proxy, WAF, and security solution logs Explore popular cyber threat intelligence platforms to investigate suspicious artifacts Book DescriptionEffective threat investigation requires strong technical expertise, analytical skills, and a deep understanding of cyber threats and attacker techniques. It's a crucial skill for SOC analysts, enabling them to analyze different threats and identify security incident origins. This book provides insights into the most common cyber threats and various attacker techniques to help you hone your incident investigation skills. The book begins by explaining phishing and email attack types and how to detect and investigate them, along with Microsoft log types such as Security, System, PowerShell, and their events. Next, you’ll learn how to detect and investigate attackers' techniques and malicious activities within Windows environments. As you make progress, you’ll find out how to analyze the firewalls, flows, and proxy logs, as well as detect and investigate cyber threats using various security solution alerts, including EDR, IPS, and IDS. You’ll also explore popular threat intelligence platforms such as VirusTotal, AbuseIPDB, and X-Force for investigating cyber threats and successfully build your own sandbox environment for effective malware analysis. By the end of this book, you’ll have learned how to analyze popular systems and security appliance logs that exist in any environment and explore various attackers' techniques to detect and investigate them with ease.What you will learn Get familiarized with and investigate various threat types and attacker techniques Analyze email security solution logs and understand email flow and headers Practically investigate various Windows threats and attacks Analyze web proxy logs to investigate C&C communication attributes Leverage WAF and FW logs and CTI to investigate various cyber attacks Who this book is for This book is for Security Operation Center (SOC) analysts, security professionals, cybersecurity incident investigators, incident handlers, incident responders, or anyone looking to explore attacker techniques and delve deeper into detecting and investigating attacks. If you want to efficiently detect and investigate cyberattacks by analyzing logs generated from different log sources, then this is the book for you. Basic knowledge of cybersecurity and networking domains and entry-level security concepts are necessary to get the most out of this book.

Work with over 150 real-world examples of threat manifestation in software development and identify similar design flaws in your systems using the EoP game, along with actionable solutions Key Features Apply threat modeling principles effectively with step-by-step instructions and support material Explore practical strategies and solutions to address identified threats, and bolster the security of your software systems Develop the ability to recognize various types of threats and vulnerabilities within software systems Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionAre you looking to navigate security risks, but want to make your learning experience fun? Here's a comprehensive guide that introduces the concept of play to protect, helping you discover the threats that could affect your software design via gameplay. Each chapter in this book covers a suit in the Elevation of Privilege (EoP) card deck (a threat category), providing example threats, references, and suggested mitigations for each card. You’ll explore the methodology for threat modeling—Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, and Elevation of Privilege (S.T.R.I.D.E.) with Privacy deck and the T.R.I.M. extension pack. T.R.I.M. is a framework for privacy that stands for Transfer, Retention/Removal, Inference, and Minimization. Throughout the book, you’ll learn the meanings of these terms and how they should be applied. From spotting vulnerabilities to implementing practical solutions, the chapters provide actionable strategies for fortifying the security of software systems. By the end of this book, you will be able to recognize threats, understand privacy regulations, access references for further exploration, and get familiarized with techniques to protect against these threats and minimize risks.What you will learn Understand the Elevation of Privilege card game mechanics Get to grips with the S.T.R.I.D.E. threat modeling methodology Explore the Privacy and T.R.I.M. extensions to the game Identify threat manifestations described in the games Implement robust security measures to defend against the identified threats Comprehend key points of privacy frameworks, such as GDPR to ensure compliance Who this book is for This book serves as both a reference and support material for security professionals and privacy engineers, aiding in facilitation or participation in threat modeling sessions. It is also a valuable resource for software engineers, architects, and product managers, providing concrete examples of threats to enhance threat modeling and develop more secure software designs. Furthermore, it is suitable for students and engineers aspiring to pursue a career in application security. Familiarity with general IT concepts and business processes is expected.

Get to grips with cyber threat intelligence and data-driven threat hunting while exploring expert tips and techniques Key Features Set up an environment to centralize all data in an Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana (ELK) server that enables threat hunting Carry out atomic hunts to start the threat hunting process and understand the environment Perform advanced hunting using MITRE ATT&CK Evals emulations and Mordor datasets Book DescriptionThreat hunting (TH) provides cybersecurity analysts and enterprises with the opportunity to proactively defend themselves by getting ahead of threats before they can cause major damage to their business. This book is not only an introduction for those who don’t know much about the cyber threat intelligence (CTI) and TH world, but also a guide for those with more advanced knowledge of other cybersecurity fields who are looking to implement a TH program from scratch. You will start by exploring what threat intelligence is and how it can be used to detect and prevent cyber threats. As you progress, you’ll learn how to collect data, along with understanding it by developing data models. The book will also show you how to set up an environment for TH using open source tools. Later, you will focus on how to plan a hunt with practical examples, before going on to explore the MITRE ATT&CK framework. By the end of this book, you’ll have the skills you need to be able to carry out effective hunts in your own environment.What you will learn Understand what CTI is, its key concepts, and how it is useful for preventing threats and protecting your organization Explore the different stages of the TH process Model the data collected and understand how to document the findings Simulate threat actor activity in a lab environment Use the information collected to detect breaches and validate the results of your queries Use documentation and strategies to communicate processes to senior management and the wider business Who this book is for If you are looking to start out in the cyber intelligence and threat hunting domains and want to know more about how to implement a threat hunting division with open-source tools, then this cyber threat intelligence book is for you.

Learn the essentials of Snort 3.0, including installation, configuration, system architecture, and tuning to develop effective intrusion detection and prevention solutions with this easy-to-follow guide Key Features Get to grips with the fundamentals of IDS/IPS and its role in network defense Explore the architecture and key components of Snort 3 and get the most out of them Migrate from Snort 2 to Snort 3 while seamlessly transferring configurations and signatures Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionSnort, an open source intrusion detection and prevention system (IDS/IPS), capable of real-time traffic analysis and packet logging, is regarded as the gold standard in IDS and IPS. The new version, Snort 3, is a major upgrade to the Snort IDS/IPS, featuring a new design and enhanced detection functionality, resulting in higher efficacy and improved performance, scalability, usability, and extensibility. Snort 3 is the latest version of Snort, with the current version at the time of writing being Snort v3.3.3. This book will help you understand the fundamentals of packet inspection in Snort and familiarize you with the various components of Snort. The chapters take you through the installation and configuration of Snort, focusing on helping you fine-tune your installation to optimize Snort performance. You’ll get to grips with creating and modifying Snort rules, fine-tuning specific modules, deploying and configuring, as well as troubleshooting Snort. The examples in this book enable network administrators to understand the real-world application of Snort, while familiarizing them with the functionality and configuration aspects. By the end of this book, you’ll be well-equipped to leverage Snort to improve the security posture of even the largest and most complex networks. What you will learn Understand the key changes in Snort 3 and troubleshoot common Snort 3 issues Explore the landscape of open source IDS/IPS solutions Write new Snort 3 signatures based on new threats and translate existing Snort 2 signatures to Snort 3 Write and optimize Snort 3 rules to detect and prevent a wide variety of threats Leverage OpenAppID for application detection and control Optimize Snort 3 for ideal detection rate, performance, and resource constraints Who this book is for This book is for network administrators, security administrators, security consultants, and other security professionals. Those using other IDSs will also gain from this book as it covers the basic inner workings of any IDS. Although there are no prerequisites, basic familiarity with Linux systems and knowledge of basic network packet analysis will be very helpful.

Learn advanced threat analysis techniques in practice by implementing Elastic Stack security features Key FeaturesGet started with Elastic Security configuration and featuresLeverage Elastic Stack features to provide optimal protection against threatsDiscover tips, tricks, and best practices to enhance the security of your environmentBook Description Threat Hunting with Elastic Stack will show you how to make the best use of Elastic Security to provide optimal protection against cyber threats. With this book, security practitioners working with Kibana will be able to put their knowledge to work and detect malicious adversary activity within their contested network. You'll take a hands-on approach to learning the implementation and methodologies that will have you up and running in no time. Starting with the foundational parts of the Elastic Stack, you'll explore analytical models and how they support security response and finally leverage Elastic technology to perform defensive cyber operations. You'll then cover threat intelligence analytical models, threat hunting concepts and methodologies, and how to leverage them in cyber operations. After you've mastered the basics, you'll apply the knowledge you've gained to build and configure your own Elastic Stack, upload data, and explore that data directly as well as by using the built-in tools in the Kibana app to hunt for nefarious activities. By the end of this book, you'll be able to build an Elastic Stack for self-training or to monitor your own network and/or assets and use Kibana to monitor and hunt for adversaries within your network. What you will learnExplore cyber threat intelligence analytical models and hunting methodologiesBuild and configure Elastic Stack for cyber threat huntingLeverage the Elastic endpoint and Beats for data collectionPerform security data analysis using the Kibana Discover, Visualize, and Dashboard appsExecute hunting and response operations using the Kibana Security appUse Elastic Common Schema to ensure data uniformity across organizationsWho this book is for Security analysts, cybersecurity enthusiasts, information systems security staff, or anyone who works with the Elastic Stack for security monitoring, incident response, intelligence analysis, or threat hunting will find this book useful. Basic working knowledge of IT security operations and network and endpoint systems is necessary to get started.

Understand psychology-driven social engineering, arm yourself with potent strategies, and mitigate threats to your organization and personal data with this all-encompassing guide Key Features Gain insights into the open source intelligence (OSINT) methods used by attackers to harvest data Understand the evolving implications of social engineering on social networks Implement effective defensive strategies to mitigate the probability and impact of social engineering attacks Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionSocial engineering is one of the most prevalent methods used by attackers to steal data and resources from individuals, companies, and even government entities. This book serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding social engineering attacks and how to protect against them. The Art of Social Engineering starts by giving you an overview of the current cyber threat landscape, explaining the psychological techniques involved in social engineering attacks, and then takes you through examples to demonstrate how to identify those attacks. You’ll learn the most intriguing psychological principles exploited by attackers, including influence, manipulation, rapport, persuasion, and empathy, and gain insights into how attackers leverage technology to enhance their attacks using fake logins, email impersonation, fake updates, and executing attacks through social media. This book will equip you with the skills to develop your own defensive strategy, including awareness campaigns, phishing campaigns, cybersecurity training, and a variety of tools and techniques. By the end of this social engineering book, you’ll be proficient in identifying cyberattacks and safeguarding against the ever-growing threat of social engineering with your defensive arsenal.What you will learn Grasp the psychological concepts and principles used in social engineering attacks Distinguish the different types of social engineering attacks Examine the impact of social engineering on social networks Find out how attackers leverage OSINT tools to perform more successful attacks Walk through the social engineering lifecycle Get a glimpse of the capabilities of Social Engineering Toolkit (SET) Who this book is forThis book is for cybersecurity enthusiasts, ethical hackers, penetration testers, IT administrators, cybersecurity analysts, or anyone concerned with cybersecurity, privacy, and risk management. It will serve as a valuable resource for managers, decision makers, and government officials to understand the impact and importance of social engineering and how to protect against this threat.

Enhance your skills as a cloud investigator to adeptly respond to cloud incidents by combining traditional forensic techniques with innovative approaches Key Features Uncover the steps involved in cloud forensic investigations for M365 and Google Workspace Explore tools and logs available within AWS, Azure, and Google for cloud investigations Learn how to investigate containerized services such as Kubernetes and Docker Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionAs organizations embrace cloud-centric environments, it becomes imperative for security professionals to master the skills of effective cloud investigation. Cloud Forensics Demystified addresses this pressing need, explaining how to use cloud-native tools and logs together with traditional digital forensic techniques for a thorough cloud investigation. The book begins by giving you an overview of cloud services, followed by a detailed exploration of the tools and techniques used to investigate popular cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Progressing through the chapters, you’ll learn how to investigate Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and containerized environments such as Kubernetes. Throughout, the chapters emphasize the significance of the cloud, explaining which tools and logs need to be enabled for investigative purposes and demonstrating how to integrate them with traditional digital forensic tools and techniques to respond to cloud security incidents. By the end of this book, you’ll be well-equipped to handle security breaches in cloud-based environments and have a comprehensive understanding of the essential cloud-based logs vital to your investigations. This knowledge will enable you to swiftly acquire and scrutinize artifacts of interest in cloud security incidents. What you will learn Explore the essential tools and logs for your cloud investigation Master the overall incident response process and approach Familiarize yourself with the MITRE ATT&CK framework for the cloud Get to grips with live forensic analysis and threat hunting in the cloud Learn about cloud evidence acquisition for offline analysis Analyze compromised Kubernetes containers Employ automated tools to collect logs from M365 Who this book is for This book is for cybersecurity professionals, incident responders, and IT professionals adapting to the paradigm shift toward cloud-centric environments. Anyone seeking a comprehensive guide to investigating security incidents in popular cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and GCP, as well as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and containerized environments like Kubernetes will find this book useful. Whether you're a seasoned professional or a newcomer to cloud security, this book offers insights and practical knowledge to enable you to handle and secure cloud-based infrastructure.

Dig deep into the Windows auditing subsystem to monitor for malicious activities and enhance Windows system security Written by a former Microsoft security program manager, DEFCON "Forensics CTF" village author and organizer, and CISSP, this book digs deep into the Windows security auditing subsystem to help you understand the operating system′s event logging patterns for operations and changes performed within the system. Expert guidance brings you up to speed on Windows auditing, logging, and event systems to help you exploit the full capabilities of these powerful components. Scenario–based instruction provides clear illustration of how these events unfold in the real world. From security monitoring and event patterns to deep technical details about the Windows auditing subsystem and components, this book provides detailed information on security events generated by the operating system for many common operations such as user account authentication, Active Directory object modifications, local security policy changes, and other activities. This book is based on the author′s experience and the results of his research into Microsoft Windows security monitoring and anomaly detection. It presents the most common scenarios people should be aware of to check for any potentially suspicious activity. Learn to: Implement the Security Logging and Monitoring policy Dig into the Windows security auditing subsystem Understand the most common monitoring event patterns related to operations and changes in the Microsoft Windows operating system About the Author Andrei Miroshnikov is a former security program manager with Microsoft. He is an organizer and author for the DEFCON security conference "Forensics CTF" village and has been a speaker at Microsoft′s Bluehat security conference. In addition, Andrei is an author of the "Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 Security Auditing and Monitoring Reference" and multiple internal Microsoft security training documents. Among his many professional qualifications, he has earned the (ISC)2 CISSP and Microsoft MCSE: Security certifications.

Blue Team Handbook: SOC, SIEM, and Threat Hunting Use Cases provides the security practitioner with numerous field notes on building a security operations team and mining data sources to get the maximum amount of information out of them with a threat hunting approach. The author shares his fifteen years of experience with SIEMs and security operations after implementing five major platforms, integrating over one hundred data sources into various platforms, and running a MSSP practice.This book covers the topics below using a "zero fluff" approach as if you hired him as a security consultant and were sitting across the table with him (or her). Topics covered include:* The book begins with a discussion for professionals to help them build a successful business case and a project plan, and deciding on SOC tier models. There is also a list of tough questions you need to consider when proposing a SOC, as well as a discussion of layered operating models. * It then goes through numerous data sources that feed a SOC and SIEM and provides specific guidance on how to use those data sources. Most of the examples presented were implemented in one organization or another. These uses cases explain how to use a SIEM and how to use the data coming into the platform, a question that is poorly answered by many vendors.* An inventory of Security Operations Center (SOC) Services.* Several business concepts are also introduced, because they are often overlooked by IT: value chain, PESTL, and SWOT. * Metrics.* SOC staff onboarding, training topics, and desirable skills. Along these lines, there is a chapter on a day in the life of a SOC analyst. * Maturity analysis for the SOC and the log management program. * Applying a Threat Hunt mindset to the SOC. * A full use case template that was used within two major Fortune 500 companies, and is in active use by one major SIEM vendor, along with a complete example of how to build a SOC and SIEM focused use case. You can see the corresponding discussion on YouTube - search for the 2017 Security Onion conference. * Critical topics in deploying SIEM based on experience deploying five different technical platforms for nineteen different organizations in education, nonprofit, and commercial enterprises from 160 to 30,000 personnel. * Understanding why SIEM deployments fail with actionable compensators. * Real life experiences getting data into SIEM platforms and the considerations for the many different ways to provide data. * Issues relating to time, time management, and time zones. * Critical factors in log management, network security monitoring, continuous monitoring, and security architecture related directly to SOC and SIEM.* A table of useful TCP and UDP port numbers.This is the second book in the Blue Team Handbook Series. Volume One, focused on incident response, has over 32,000 copies in print and has a 4.5/5.0 review rating!

Using a well-conceived incident response plan in the aftermath of an online security breach enables your team to identify attackers and learn how they operate. But, only when you approach incident response with a cyber threat intelligence mindset will you truly understand the value of that information. With this practical guide, you’ll learn the fundamentals of intelligence analysis, as well as the best ways to incorporate these techniques into your incident response process. Each method reinforces the other: threat intelligence supports and augments incident response, while incident response generates useful threat intelligence. This book helps incident managers, malware analysts, reverse engineers, digital forensics specialists, and intelligence analysts understand, implement, and benefit from this relationship. In three parts, this in-depth book includes: The fundamentals: get an introduction to cyber threat intelligence, the intelligence process, the incident-response process, and how they all work together Practical application: walk through the intelligence-driven incident response (IDIR) process using the F3EAD process—Find, Fix Finish, Exploit, Analyze, and Disseminate The way forward: explore big-picture aspects of IDIR that go beyond individual incident-response investigations, including intelligence team building