Cyber Lab Setup – All You Need to Understand About the Cyber Forensics Lab

Digital transformation and technology development is now becoming a part of life. But, the only drawback is the risk of cyberattacks. So, cybersecurity is critical for the safety of every individual, organization, and nation. As cyberattacks are happening in such a sophisticated way that encryption and change of passwords are now one of the options. Hence, thinking of a better option is essential like a cyber lab setup which includes a cybersecurity lab setup and a cyber forensics lab setup. Through these platforms, cyber experts execute unique solutions based on the needs and objectives of the case.

Now, let’s have a look at the question. Why do you think Israel became a cybersecurity powerhouse? Well, the answer is they focused on the potential cyber threats and also on the assets requiring protection. Simultaneously this led them to the potential attackers. In addition to that, they made sure that their emphasis should be on the organizations (more prone to espionage attacks) as the first line of defense. Hence they easily tackled the security issues and became the cybersecurity powerhouse of the world.

Since the level of cyber attack demands different approaches to cybersecurity, a dedicated investigating environment becomes crucial. So, to detect probable threats and to trace the attacker there is a requirement for setting up cybersecurity labs and cyber forensics labs.

Now, let’s deeply understand what is cyber lab setup, cyber security lab, cyber forensics lab, and their need. 

Get Familiarized with the Different Lab Setups

What is a cybersecurity lab?

Basically, it is a state-of-art dedicated space designed to monitor, detect and deactivate security issues. Also, the cyber security lab is in a contained and controlled environment where the cyber expert will create a real-time scenario to perform penetration testing. All these will happen in an isolated space without impacting other networks.

Now, let’s get to know the cyber forensics lab. 

A cyber forensics lab is a dedicated area where the computer forensics expert will investigate a data breach. The CFL (Cyber Forensics Lab) is a platform that is able to investigate any cybercrime event. Here the investigator analyzes various types of evidence obtained from the crime scene.

Till now you must have gathered basic knowledge about cybersecurity lab and cyber forensics lab. However, the purpose of having such labs should also be clear to you.

Requirement of Cybersecurity Lab and Cyber Forensics Lab

You will get a clear picture of the cyber forensic lab and cyber security lab requirements after reading about the purpose of setting up these cyber labs.

1. Cybersecurity Lab Setup Requirement

1. To create a secure cyber ecosystem for your organization. It will generate adequate trust and confidence to securely share vulnerable information.
2. Through managed SOC  and managed NOC your company will be under 24X7 monitoring to obtain strategic information related to possible threats. Also, will create scenarios for quick response to prevent such risks.
3. It will enhance the protection of your organization’s IT infrastructure.
4. The aim is to enable the protection of information while in the process, securing the database so as to safeguard the privacy of the data. Also, helps in reducing the economic loss due to security breaches.
5. The experts will conduct periodic reviews to address cybersecurity challenges.

2. Need of Cyber Forensics Lab Setup

1. As cybercrime involves digital devices, recovering deleted files from such devices is part of any cybercrime investigation. Hence the forensics expert will perform the same by designing a suitable lab for that scenario.
2. Sometimes the image and/or video files get blurred. To amplify the quality they perform file conversion using the right tools.
3. For a forensic investigation, locating a certain file and viewing files of various formats are critical. To enable effective viewing, the cyber forensic lab is essential.
4. Gathering and handling digital evidence is crucial in a criminal investigation. So to preserve the data to be admissible in the court is the highest priority.
5. To enhance the capabilities of law enforcement and to facilitate effective response and investigation.

Different Categories of Cyber Lab Setup

A digital forensics lab setup is incomplete without proper placement of its hardware and software equipment. 

A typical computer forensics lab consists of the following hardware & software setup.

Hardware

• Mobile data acquisition hardware kit
• Routers, Switches, and Network monitoring devices
• Write blockers
• High-performance processors
• Tableus (for creating forensic images and duplicating them for investigation)

Software

• Data Acquisition software (FTK Imager, MailXaminer, etc.)
• Data Recovery & Carving software
• Website dump tools
• Database forensics tool
• Malware analysis software
• DVR examiner

Anyway, designing cyber labs with these types of equipment could be a daunting task if not done precisely. You have to have advanced technical knowledge while drawing the outlines of the forensics labs. So, why not seek the help of the top Cyber Expert of India, Mr. Anuraag Singh, and leave the technicalities to him?

Benefits of Laying Trust on the Expert for Setting up a Cyber Lab

According to Anuraag Singh, ‘Cyber labs are not only about hardware and software tools. It is all about effectively using them as per the case needs.’ So, he provides precise training for the same. Currently, he is working on Government tenders and imparting services to Income Tax Department, GST Intelligence, DRI, STF, etc. to combat the risks of cyberattacks.

Along with that, he gives cyber security training to the officials such that they can easily understand complex concepts, stay updated with the latest attack vectors, get familiar with new defense strategies, gain hands-on experience, etc.

As every case is a new case. Hence the investigation approaches differ. To carry out the same one should be proficient enough to investigate a case from the right angle.

Nowadays advanced levels of cyber attacks are taking place that can compromise many layers of security. So, by having SOC centers, you can analyze the cyber attack pattern and safeguard against data theft, espionage, and data breaches.

With the cyber forensics lab set up designed by the expert, you can investigate the entire range of Digital Forensics like Memory Card Forensics cases under one roof. Starting from computer forensics, mobile forensics, and network forensics to the latest Cloud forensics. It all can be investigated with the help of fully equipped cyber labs. As far as cyber security home lab setup is concerned, he hasn’t started this service yet.

To conclude, you must have heard of the saying “Prevention is better than Cure”. Hence become proactive and think of a long-term cybersecurity strategy of setting up Cyber Labs.