Evidence sources in enterprise environments represent the rich, diverse trails left by users, systems, and attackers across sprawling IT infrastructures, providing investigators with critical clues to reconstruct incidents. Unlike standalone devices, enterprises generate petabytes of logs, artifacts, and telemetry daily, demanding systematic collection to avoid overload.
Endpoint and Workstation Sources
Endpoints like laptops and desktops hold the most direct user and malware traces. Investigators prioritize them for behavioral evidence.
Note: In enterprises, standardized images aid consistency, but roaming devices complicate remote acquisition.
1. File System Artifacts: NTFS journals, recycle bins, prefetch files, and USB histories reveal file access and external media use.
2. Registry and Configuration: Run keys, recent documents, mounted volumes track program execution and network shares.
3. Application Data: Browser caches, Office metadata, chat apps (Slack/Teams) expose communications and downloads.
4. Event Logs: Windows Security, Application logs detail logons, process creation, and policy violations.
Collect volatiles first via tools like Belkasoft RAM Capturer.
Server and Infrastructure Evidence
Servers centralize data and services, yielding high-volume logs for lateral movement detection.
1. System Logs: Syslog, IIS/Apache access logs, authentication failures indicating brute force.
2. Database Audit Trails: SQL Server or Oracle logs of queries, especially unusual data exports.
3. Virtual Machine Snapshots: Pre-breach states preserve clean baselines for comparison.
4. Backup and Shadow Copies: Ransomware often targets these; remnants show pre-encryption files.
Enterprise DCs (Domain Controllers) shine for AD events: logon types, privilege escalations, Golden Ticket attacks.
Note: Virtualized environments multiply sources—hypervisors like VMware log guest activities.
Network and Security Telemetry
Networks capture traffic invisible to hosts, essential for exfiltration and C2 detection.
1. Packet Captures (PCAPs): Full traffic for deep inspection of payloads and anomalies.
2. NetFlow/IPFIX: Connection metadata (IPs, ports, bytes) for volume-based exfil spotting.
3. Firewall/IDS Logs: Blocked connections, signature alerts pointing to scans or exploits.
4. DNS and Proxy Records: Queried domains reveal phishing or malware callbacks.
In 2025, Zero Trust architectures enrich sources with micro-segmentation logs.
Note: Hybrid setups with firewalls, proxies, and EDR generate flows investigators correlate across time.
Cloud and SaaS Platforms
Cloud shifts evidence to provider-controlled realms, requiring API access and retention policies.
Note: Multi-tenant challenges demand early scoping of subscriptions like O365 or AWS.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) Sources
IAM logs bridge endpoints and clouds, exposing privilege abuse.
1. Authentication Events: Kerberos tickets, SAML assertions, MFA bypass attempts.
2. Group/Policy Changes: New admin adds or GPO tweaks enabling persistence.
3. Endpoint Detection Logs: EDR like CrowdStrike or Carbon Black flags Cobalt Strike beacons.
Note: Active Directory or Okta provides the "who did what" backbone.
Prioritization and Collection Strategy
Not all sources equal—triage by relevance and volatility:
Use agent-based tools (Velociraptor) for mass collection; respect retention (e.g., 90 days in GDPR zones). Chain of custody starts here—hash everything.
In practice, SIEMs like Splunk aggregate for initial scoping, feeding targeted deep dives.
