Introduction to Network Forensics (NWF)

Detecting Network Attacks: You analyze network traffic, identify suspicious activities, collect digital traces and evidence, and present the results in a clear and understandable way.

Contents

• Network Security Monitoring Methodology
• Hash Functions in Digital Forensics
• Fundamentals of Network Protocols and Their Attack Vectors
• Types of Network Attacks and Their Impact on Network Traffic
• Data Acquisition from Various Network Components
• Digital Forensic Analysis of Network Traffic
• Use of Network Forensics Tools
• Visualization of Network Data
• Preparation of Forensic Reports

Competencies

Students are able to

• explain the Network Security Monitoring methodology and apply its procedures.
• explain the fundamental principles of cryptographic hash functions and understand their role in network forensics.
• create different types of network packet capture files and extract relevant data.
• identify common network attacks, explain their mechanisms, and detect them in network traffic.
• analyze and trace network data flows.
• describe key network services, including email, HTTP, HTTPS, and DNS, and analyze their usage.
• use common forensic tools to independently extract and interpret relevant findings.
• create visualizations of network data for forensic reports, select appropriate chart types, and extract relevant information from visual representations.
• identify and explain the challenges of network forensics.

Literature

• Messier, Ric: Network Forensics. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2017. ISBN 978-1-119-32828-5.
• Eckert, Claudia: IT-Sicherheit : Konzepte - Verfahren - Protokolle. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 2018. ISBN 978-3-110-56390-0.
• Steen, Maarten van ; Tanenbaum, Andrew S.: Distributed Systems. Ort: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017. ISBN 978-1-543-05738-6.
• Collins, Michael: Network Security Through Data Analysis : From Data to Action. Sebastopol: O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2017. ISBN 978-1-491-96281-7.
• Forshaw, James: Attacking Network Protocols : A Hacker's Guide to Capture, Analysis, and Exploitation. München: No Starch Press, 2018. ISBN 978-1-593-27844-1.

Lecturer

• Prof. Dr. Jessica Steinberger

Recommended Previous Knowledge 

• Knowledge of digital number representations and encodings (e.g., ASCII)
• Basic programming skills

Module Details

Semester	6/7
Lecture Language	German
Frequency	Winter Term
Credit Points (ECTS)	5
Course Coordinator	Prof. Dr. Jessica Steinberger
Duration	1 Semester
Course Achievement	None
Prerequisite for exam	Compulsory Assignment (PU)
Exam	Homework (HA)

Weekly Hours (SWS) 

Lecture	2 SWS
Exercises	2 SWS
Sum	4 SWS

Work Load 

Lecture	30 h
Self Study	90 h
Assignments	30 h
Sum	150 h