Router Triage for Investigators
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Author: Inv-Network
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Level: Intermediate
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Study time: 2 hours
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Video time: 45 min
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Exams: 9 questions
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Why should I take this course?
This course is essential because routers act as central gateways that store valuable digital evidence, which is crucial for digital investigations as the number of connected devices keeps growing
Router interrogation, or router forensics, is a critical area of digital investigation focused on recovering evidentiary artifacts from network routers, particularly consumer-grade devices, to help answer key investigative questions concerning who was at a specific physical location at a specific time in criminal cases. The primary challenge in this field is the volatility of data, as information within the router can be easily lost or altered with the loss of power or even the passage of time, requiring the recovery process to be conducted strategically in a live network environment.
The methodology for retrieving artifacts follows a tiered approach adapted from mobile device forensics, starting with Manual Extraction (using the router's Web User Interface), progressing to Logical Extraction (using integrated software services like APIs or SSH), and finally including Hardware Extraction (retrieving raw information directly from memory using interfaces like UART or JTAG). Crucial artifacts collected include DHCP logs (essential for linking a device's MAC address to a time and location), NTP settings (needed to determine the correct time zone for accurate timeline recreation), and the Public IP Address (used for ISP correlation), all while acknowledging that the technical procedures must comply with the necessary legal and policy frameworks of the investigating jurisdiction.
The methodology for retrieving artifacts follows a tiered approach adapted from mobile device forensics, starting with Manual Extraction (using the router's Web User Interface), progressing to Logical Extraction (using integrated software services like APIs or SSH), and finally including Hardware Extraction (retrieving raw information directly from memory using interfaces like UART or JTAG). Crucial artifacts collected include DHCP logs (essential for linking a device's MAC address to a time and location), NTP settings (needed to determine the correct time zone for accurate timeline recreation), and the Public IP Address (used for ISP correlation), all while acknowledging that the technical procedures must comply with the necessary legal and policy frameworks of the investigating jurisdiction.