ECF - Event correlation for forensics

Abstract

The focus of the research described in this paper is on the nature of the event information provided in commonly available computer and other logs and the extent to which it is possible to correlate such event information despite its heterogeneous nature and origins. The strategic purpose of the research has been to develop a means by which a consolidated repository of such information can be constituted and then queried in order to provide an investigator with post hoc event correlation for forensics purposes (ECF). The paper provides an account of the log processing techniques utilized, and the nature of the database and query engine that have been developed in our current prototype and two examples of scenarios investigated and identified by the current prototype.