Memory Acquisition

1 min read Advanced Security Topics

Memory Acquisition

Memory forensics has become increasingly important as malware operates entirely in memory:

Memory Acquisition Tools:

  • FTK Imager: Free tool supporting various memory formats
  • DumpIt: Simple one-click memory acquisition
  • WinPMEM: Kernel-level memory acquisition for Windows
  • LiME: Linux Memory Extractor
  • AVML: Acquiring Volatile Memory for Linux

Memory Acquisition Best Practices:

  1. Use kernel-level drivers when possible
  2. Acquire to external storage, not the local system
  3. Document system state before and after acquisition
  4. Capture multiple images if the first attempt fails
  5. Verify image integrity immediately