SysTracer: Another Suite for Digital Forensics and Incident Response

 

Forensic investigators often need to analyze system changes or discover new artifacts related to the Windows operating system. For example, consider a scenario where a threat actor uses a malicious document to compromise an organization’s network. After the environment is cleaned from known malicious files, the investigation begins to understand the behavior and impact of the attack.

Here's how such an investigation might unfold in an isolated lab environment:

1. Place the Malicious Document in the isolated analysis lab.

2. Take an Initial Snapshot of the system in its clean state.

3. Execute the Malicious Document and allow it to run for a short period (e.g., 1 minute) to give the malware time to activate and perform its actions.

4. Take a Second Snapshot of the system after execution.

5. Analyze the Differences between the two snapshots to identify changes in the registry, file system, processes, services, or any other affected components.

This snapshot comparison method helps investigators uncover how malware behaves, what artifacts it leaves behind, and which parts of the system were impacted . critical steps for improving detection and developing better defensive strategies.

The software may look outdated, but it remains highly useful for forensic investigations or for documenting the behavior and capabilities of malicious files during their execution on an infected system. This process typically involves:

1. Capturing a Baseline Snapshot : A snapshot of the clean system is taken before any suspicious activity occurs.

2. Executing the Malicious File : The malware or suspicious document is run to allow it to perform its actions.

3. Capturing a Post-Execution Snapshot : A second snapshot is taken after allowing the malware time to operate (e.g., 1–2 minutes).

4. Comparing Snapshots : The two snapshots are compared to identify changes in the registry, file system, services, drivers, processes, and other components.

5. Analyzing Artifacts : The identified changes can reveal key indicators of compromise (IOCs), persistence mechanisms, and other behaviors exhibited by the malware.

Despite its outdated appearance, the tool still performs well in controlled environments and is valuable for malware research, threat hunting, and incident documentation.