After wrapping up the Autopsy room, I moved on to learning about Redline, a tool I'd never heard of before. This is one of the things I'm loving about this course: going head first into something completely new and making sense of it on the go.
First Impressions of Redline
Redline is built by FireEye and focuses on endpoint analysis by collecting and investigating artefacts from compromised systems. Compared to Autopsy, it feels more investigative than exploratory. Instead of sifting through a full disk image, you work with targeted data collections that can be tuned for specific purposes, like searching for indicators of compromise (IOCs). I quickly learnt how powerful it can be when you want to focus on a particular threat.
Getting the Data
The first challenge came during data collection. Redline needs an empty directory to store its output, and the default folder already had files in it. It just goes to show that forensics often isn't always a complex technical puzzle, but about noticing the small details that can stop your workflow cold. Once I fixed it and ran my collection, I saw how Redline builds structured snapshots of a system, including memory, processes, network connections, event logs, and more. It's like taking a digital X-ray of the host at a given point in time.
Diving into the Interface
When I first opened the analysis in Redline, the many tabs, filters, and categories felt overwhelming. Eventually, though, I started to get the hang of it. System Information gave me the user and OS context, while Event Logs, Scheduled Tasks, and File Download History revealed behavioural traces. What stood out most was how Redline connects system events in a way that highlights persistence, suspicious downloads, and even custom event IDs left behind by an intruder.
Spotting Suspicious Activity
This room required both technical skill and investigative thinking. I saw examples of fake scheduled tasks, unusual event logs, and even a playful message left behind by an attacker. I was fascinated by seeing how each artefact told a small part of the story, scheduled persistence, file downloads, password changes, and even hidden messages buried inside tasks or logs.
Working with IOCs
Redline's IOC Search Collector introduced me to scanning a system based on specific indicators such as domains, hashes, filenames, etc. This means that instead of searching for everything, you can target what's relevant. This was also my first time working with .ioc files, and it gave me a better understanding of how analysts automate threat detection. I was able to trace a keylogger masquerading as another executable, identify its owner, and see how Redline ties it all together in a reportable view.
Patience in Forensics
If Autopsy taught me to interpret large volumes of data, Redline taught me patience. Waiting for analysis files to load (at one point up to 20 minutes!) was easily the most frustrating part of this room. However, this wait just shows that investigations take time, and patience often separates a rushed guess from a confident conclusion.
Connecting the Dots
Once everything was loaded, that's when the fun started. From discovering a fake update task to tracing a malicious download that led to a Cerber ransomware infection, each clue built on the previous one. The process showed how an attacker entered, persisted, downloaded payloads, and left. Seeing how all those artefacts related made the time investment worth it.
What I Learned
- Structured Analysis: Redline reinforces structured analysis through collecting, correlating, and confirming evidence step by step.
- IOC Searches: IOC-based searching is powerful when you already have known indicators from threat intelligence or malware reports.
- Be Patient: Patience is part of digital forensics. The best findings come from waiting, rechecking, and cross-referencing.
- Tool Adaptation: Not all challenges are technical; sometimes you need to adapt your workflow to work with the tool.
- Build the Story: Every artefact contributes to a bigger narrative, especially when viewed together through event logs, tasks, and file history.
Final Thoughts
This room was both frustrating and fascinating. The waiting times dragged, but the analysis process reminded me why I enjoy this field; every clue connects to another, and every investigation is a puzzle waiting to be solved. During this process, I have been learning how to think like an analyst, not just how to follow steps but question, verify, and dig deeper. Redline might have been slow to load, but it demonstrated how methodical endpoint investigations can be.