I'm currently leading a forensic investigation into a former system administrator who may have misused their access after leaving the company. We've identified that they assigned themselves unnecessary permissions in Active Directory before exiting, but we're having difficulty uncovering concrete evidence of their actions.
Here's what we know:
- **Privilege Escalation:** Their account was added to several unauthorized high-level groups.
- **Allegation 1:** They've accessed confidential payroll and HR servers, specifically related to our accounting software.
- **Allegation 2:** They've allegedly copied a crucial shared management drive.
I've already run some PowerShell scripts to analyze Event Logs, but the findings don't show anything unusual or are simply too clean.
My main questions are:
1. **File Copying:** Since Windows doesn't log file copy actions automatically (unless specific auditing was enabled beforehand), what other types of evidence should I be looking into, like the USN Journal or ShellBags?
2. **Server Access:** How can I differentiate between routine maintenance and unauthorized access on a server when this admin had valid credentials?
3. **Lateral Movement:** Are there any often-overlooked Event IDs or registry keys that could indicate unauthorized admin activity?
Any recommendations on forensic tools or techniques that can help me substantiate these allegations would be greatly appreciated, as I'm trying to be thorough and objective.
5 Answers
If you're considering legal action, it might be best to treat this as a breach and consult a forensic investigation firm to handle it appropriately. Document everything clearly and don't modify your systems further until you've got professional help.
Files copied using backup software might leave traces in the job logs, which could be worth exploring. Ensure your auditing policies were set up correctly; otherwise, you might not have the necessary data to prove unauthorized access. If done properly, these logs can offer additional context about potential misuse.
You're probably better off seeking advice in a cyber forensics community where experts can provide more tailored insights and tools suitable for your investigation.
If this situation involves legal proceedings, it's crucial to engage with an IT forensics team from a law firm. If auditing wasn't enabled before the file copies, there’s likely no way to recover that data. Rigorous documentation of your actions is essential to avoid claims of evidence tampering.
Engaging a forensic firm is critical here. You need to preserve forensic images or log exports and analyze copies rather than production systems to maintain the integrity of your evidence. It's important to act meticulously; otherwise, opposing counsel could argue that you altered the evidence.
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