In digital forensics, capture the contents of RAM (Random Access Memory) contents plays a key role in uncovering volatile data that might vanish after a reboot. RAM often contains crucial information such as active processes, open files, passwords, and other sensitive data. This data can offer valuable insights during an investigation. This guide will show you how to capture RAM from a Windows system using Belkasoft RAM Capturer.
What is Belkasoft RAM Capturer the contents of RAM?
Belkasoft RAM Capturer is a specific digital forensic tool used to capture volatile computer memory contents that are saved in the Random Access Memory, or RAM. It is small and easy to use. A lot of forensic investigators make use of this software in forensics investigations to save important data saved in memory. This data includes running processes, passwords, encryption keys, and other sensitive info that could disappear once someone turns off or restarts the system. By getting live memory data, investigators can save crucial evidence that might otherwise vanish. It ensures they can do forensic analysis after capturing the RAM data.
Why Use Belkasoft RAM Capturer?
- Lightweight and Portable: It can run from a USB drive or other portable media. This makes it easy to deploy in both field and lab environments.
- Low System Impact: It is developed in a way that there is minimal interference to the system, so it does not compromise the integrity of the data captured.
- Cross-Version Compatibility: It is possible to support a variety of Windows system versions so that it can be used on many different devices.
- Supports Large Memory Dumps: It can capture large volumes of memory from modern systems with significant RAM sizes, ensuring nothing is left out during the capture.
- Preservation of Evidence: By acquiring volatile memory before a shutdown, it preserves crucial evidence that may disappear after a reboot. This ensures investigators have a complete set of data for further analysis.
Walkthrough
- Download Belkasoft RAM capturer
Visit Belkasoft website: Download (belkasoft.com)
- Select Belkasoft Live RAM Capturer. Provide your email. Then click on Proceed.
- Click on the CONTINUE WITH THIS EMAIL button.
- Fill in the details and click on the REQUEST button.
- You will receive an email from Belkasoft. Click on the download link.
- Launch Belkasoft RAM Capturer: Extract the downloaded zip file. After extracting it, click on RamCapture->x64->RamCapture64. It will launch the application.
- Select the output folder path where you want to save the RAM dump. It could be an external USB drive or any folder on your computer.
- Start RAM capture by clicking on the Capture! Button. Depending on the size of your RAM, this process may take several minutes. So, wait for the process to complete.
*Note: During the capture, avoid using the system as it could overwrite important data in memory.*
- Verify the RAM dump file by navigating to the destination where the output is saved as 20240923.mem file. The dump is saved as yyyymmdd.mem format.
Congratulations! We were successful in capturing live data using Belkasoft RAM Capturer. Now, we can use digital forensic tools like Volatility, Rekall, and Belkasoft Evidence Center to analyze the data. But that is a discussion for another day. Thank you, and keep up the great work in forensics!
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