Digital › Module 10 › Lesson 2
Lab Path
DFIR literacy path on $DFIR_LAB — intake to handoff with ethics gates at every station.
Visual · t26_lab_path
Lab path = visual case chain on YOUR $DFIR_LAB. Original Cyberlium.
Opening
Draw the path from authority check to mentor handoff — with stop signs at every unauthorized shortcut.
Document literacy path: $DFIR_LAB dataset → intake/authority → preserve/hash → acquire → disk/memory/net analysis → timeline/correlation → report/exhibits → case handoff. Ethics gates: unauthorized device, tampering, forged logs, scope creep, hash skip, confirmation bias — refused paths labeled red. UTC milestones and artifact IDs per station. Mermaid or sketch chmod 600. Honest N/A if brief skipped memory — labeled. Defender breakpoint: where hash verification or limitations paragraph shortened wrong path to finding.
1. Path stations
Intake, preserve, acquire, analyze branches, timeline, report, handoff — eight minimum.
Each station links evidence index row and module lesson ID.
Command guide
Try these commands — Path stations
═══ TOOLS & WEBSITES ═══ Browse / read these (authorized learning only — stay in YOUR lab / program scope)
Integrity capstone — https://www.nist.gov/itl/ssd/software-quality-group/computer-forensics-reference-data-sets-cfreds Sleuth Kit — https://www.sleuthkit.org/ SANS DFIR — https://www.sans.org/cyber-security-skills/digital-forensics/
═══ INSTALL ═══
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu): Built-in (binutils)
macOS: Built-in
Windows: Use WSL or install binutils
═══ LINUX / macOS ═══
Command — copy this
export LAB_DFIR=${LAB_DFIR:-$HOME/cyberlium-lab/t26-dfir}
sha256sum "$LAB_DFIR/evidence/"* "$LAB_DFIR/pcap/"*.pcap 2>/dev/null | tee "$LAB_DFIR/report/capstone-all-hashes.txt"
strings "$LAB_DFIR/evidence/sample.bin" | tee "$LAB_DFIR/report/capstone-strings.txt"
grep -E 'sample|pcap|CYBERLIUM' "$LAB_DFIR/report/capstone-all-hashes.txt" "$LAB_DFIR/report/capstone-strings.txt" 2>/dev/null | head -8Primary tools to practice this lesson: sha256sum, strings. Reference sites: Integrity capstone (https://www.nist.gov/itl/ssd/software-quality-group/computer-forensics-reference-data-sets-cfreds); Sleuth Kit (https://www.sleuthkit.org/); SANS DFIR (https://www.sans.org/cyber-security-skills/digital-forensics/). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. Ethics overlay
Red stops: unauthorized access, plant/tamper, forged logs, leaked dumps, scope creep.
Authority branch always green start — no shortcut.
3. Integrity breakpoint
Mark where hash verification or ethics checklist prevented bad analysis.
One paragraph uplift from YOUR $DFIR_LAB path.
4. What you ship: lab path diagram
Case chain with ethics gates + UTC milestones — chmod 600.
5. What you record before the next lesson
Lab path diagram path.
6. Wrong vs right: tampering evidence vs chain of custody
Worked failure — same MSF word, opposite target. Right never needs a café Wi-Fi or classmate laptop.
Wrong
Lab path includes unauthorized acquisition shortcut lane.
Right
Lab path documented for $DFIR_LAB. Next: Evidence Pack.
Mission: lab path diagram
1) Map eight stations. 2) Add six ethics gates. 3) UTC milestones per station. 4) Link evidence index IDs.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Ask Mentor: “Diagram vs numbered list for capstone?”
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Lab path documents:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
APPLY: True or False: Hash skip shortcut OK on path.
True or False
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Path ends at:
Multiple choice