In the realm of incident response (IR), managing investigations can often be a daunting task, especially for new analysts trying to keep pace with complex findings. While experienced teams can still thrive using traditional tools like Excel, Aurora Incident Response (Aurora IR) stands out as a fantastic free and open-source solution for those who need a more structured and user-friendly approach to investigations. Aurora IR centralizes the investigative process, making it easier to track findings, manage cases, and coordinate tasks efficiently.
You can download Aurora IR.
Let’s dive into the key features and capabilities of Aurora IR and why it might just be the tool you need.
Key Features of Aurora IR
1. Timeline
The Timeline section in Aurora IR serves as the foundation of the investigative process. It collects relevant timing information that helps analysts "tell the story" of the incident. Timelines feed directly into all the visualization capabilities of Aurora, making it easier to see the chronological sequence of events and detect any gaps in the incident response process.
2. Investigated Systems
Tracking compromised systems is crucial in any investigation, and Aurora IR makes this easy with the Investigated Systems tab. It allows analysts to:
Track systems that require closer examination.
Estimate when triage or forensic results will be available for specific machines.
Identify the earliest point of infection on a machine level.
This section aids investigators in ensuring that every system gets the attention it needs during the forensic analysis process.
3. Malware/Tools
The Malware/Tools section stores critical information about malware found during the investigation. For newer analysts, this is especially helpful in getting familiar with staging directories, typical malware names, and other facts that more experienced team members might already know. This makes onboarding to an ongoing investigation seamless for any new analyst.
4. Compromised Accounts
Tracking compromised accounts is made simpler with the Compromised Accounts tab. This section:
Stores accounts used by attackers.
Helps you quickly look up the SID for a known breached account.
Assists new analysts in identifying accounts of particular interest to the investigation.
This prevents missed details and ensures every compromised account is addressed and tracked properly.
5. Network Indicators
The Network Indicators tab is critical for tracking network-based evidence. This section stores all network indicators important for the case and allows investigators to upload indicators to a MISP (Malware Information Sharing Platform) instance for further processing.
6. Exfiltration
One of the key goals of attackers is often to exfiltrate sensitive data. The Exfiltration section in Aurora IR helps track all detected data exfiltration activities. Given that attackers may use different machines and sessions to exfiltrate data, this section helps keep track of all operations in one place.
7. OSInt
OSInt (Open-Source Intelligence) is a critical part of most investigations. This tab allows investigators to document external research needed to progress the case. The underlying philosophy here is simple: investigations must not lose momentum due to a change in personnel. Should a lead investigator leave the case, any ongoing thoughts or research efforts are easily preserved.
8. Systems
The Systems tab contains a comprehensive table of hostnames. This integration ensures consistency across tabs by preventing the mistyping of names, which could result in wrongly attributed data. Additionally, this tab helps control the visualization of endpoints in the Lateral Movement view.
Reporting Features in Aurora IR
Once you’ve gathered all your evidence, Aurora IR provides excellent reporting functionalities that help you visualize and document the investigation’s progress.
1. Visual Timeline
The Visual Timeline feature is a powerful tool that helps analysts understand the sequence of events. It highlights gaps in the storyline, enabling the team to focus on areas that may need further investigation.
2. Lateral Movement
Aurora IR’s Lateral Movement feature helps visualize an attacker's lateral movement within the network. It identifies "islands" (isolated systems) that may have been compromised but haven’t been linked directly to other parts of the network.
3. Activity Plot
An Activity Plot creates a profile of the attacker’s actions, providing useful insights such as the time zone they may be working in based on when activities occur. This helps analysts better understand the attackers’ behaviors and patterns.
Case Management in Aurora IR
Managing an incident response investigation involves coordination across teams and tasks. Aurora IR makes this easier with its case management tools.
1. Investigators
The Investigators section allows you to add multiple investigators to a case. You can track both internal and external investigators, such as third-party partners or insurance representatives.
2. Evidence
Occasionally, you might receive physical hardware as evidence. Aurora IR’s Evidence tab helps document this and ensures all pieces of evidence are tracked throughout the investigation.
3. Action Items
The Action Items tab helps track ongoing tasks. You can walk through the to-do list during every status update, ensuring that no critical tasks are missed.
4. Case Notes
For information that doesn’t fit neatly into other categories, the Case Notes section allows you to document all relevant details. This ensures that no useful information slips through the cracks during an investigation.
Case Configuration
Aurora IR allows you to configure certain case-specific details, ensuring your investigation setup aligns with the tools and resources available to you.
1. General Case Configuration
The General configuration tab allows you to document general information about the case, providing a high-level overview for investigators.
2. MISP Integration
Aurora IR integrates seamlessly with MISP. In the MISP tab, you can set the MISP URL and credentials to upload network indicators. The MISP event must already exist, and you can easily add indicators to it from Aurora.
3. VirusTotal Integration
The VirusTotal integration allows Aurora IR to leverage the VT API to perform malware checks in the “Malware” tab, giving you access to the massive VirusTotal database for malware and malicious files.
Conclusion: Why Aurora IR Is a Game-Changer
Aurora IR brings structure and efficiency to incident response investigations. Its features cater to both experienced analysts and those new to the field, making it a versatile tool for any organization. With built-in timeline visualization, system tracking, malware analysis, network indicator management, and MISP integration, it significantly enhances the ability to manage investigations from start to finish.
Whether you're an experienced IR analyst or just starting your cybersecurity career, Aurora IR is a tool worth exploring for its depth, flexibility, and ease of use
Akash Patel
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