FTK Imager is a popular and widely used free imaging tool developed by AccessData. It allows forensic analysts and IT professionals to create forensic images of digital devices and storage media. It is ideal for incident response and discovery as it helps in preserving and investigating digital evidence that is crucial for handling cyber security incidents.
FTK Imager provides users with a variety of essential features, such as:
Creating forensic images: FTK Imager can create a forensically sound image of a computer’s disk or other storage device in various formats, including raw (dd), E01, and AFF formats.
Previewing data: It allows analysts to preview data stored on any imaging source, such as a hard drive, even before creating a forensic image so that they can determine if the source’s data is relevant to the investigation.
Acquiring live data: FTK Imager can help capture memory (RAM) of a live system for further investigation, allowing you to analyze system information such as running processes, network connections, and file handles.
Examining file systems: It offers the ability to browse and examine file systems, identify file types, view, and export files and directories without needing to mount the disk image.
Hashing support: FTK Imager supports hashing files and capturing evident files, ensuring the integrity of data and confirming that the original data has not been tampered with during investigation and analysis.
Mounting images: Users can mount forensic images, enabling them to view and analyze disk images using various third-party tools.
To use FTK Imager effectively in incident response:
In summary, FTK Imager is a versatile tool that plays a critical role in incident response and discovery efforts by providing secure and forensically sound digital imaging capabilities, enabling investigators to preserve, analyze, and present digital evidence for successful cyber security investigations.