2 min read 532 words Updated May 10, 2026 Created May 09, 2026
#forensics#security

Computer & Network Forensics Tools

There are a vast array of tools for network and system forensics analysis.

Two other VERY GOOD sources are:

Each tool listed here includes, name - URL and a short description. A Status: line to indicate whether I have evaluated/used (or currently use) and an optional rating (e.g. Like) the tool. Almost all of this is SOFTWARE. Much of it is OPEN SOURCE (thus free)!

Darik's Boot and Nuke

http://www.dban.org/

Darik's Boot and Nuke (commonly referred to as DBAN) is a free media erasure software designed for consumer use. Securely wipes almost any drive with DoD strength. Safety in numbers!

Tags: Use, Like, Open source

EnCase Forensic

http://www.guidancesoftware.com/products/ef_index.asp

Cream of the crop software, but also expensive

Tags: Used, Like

Helix Live CD

http://www.e-fense.com/helix/

This is a bootable live CD based off Knoppix. Includes customized linux kernels, excellent hardware detection and many applications dedicated to Incident Response and Forensics. It can also be dropped into a running Windows system for live data capture and analysis. Newer versions are subscription based.

Tags: Use, Like


ImageJ

http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/

Image processing application courtesy of NIH. Many formats supported. Plugins.


Internet Evidence Finder (IEF)

http://www.magnetforensics.com/products/internet-evidence-finder/

Internet Evidence Finder (IEF)
Full featured evidence recovery of Internet & browser artifacts


Kali Linux

http://www.kali.org/
formerly known as "Backtrack"

Aimed at digital forensics and penetration testing.


McAfee Security Tools Collection

http://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/index.aspx

A nice collection of tools for free download. Includes fport, pasco, rootkitremover


Nessus Vulnerability Scanner

http://www.tenable.com/products/nessus

Fantastic network-based audit toolset. 50,000+ vulnerability and configuration checks (plugins) – new plugins updated daily. Forked as open-source OpenVAS - OpenVAS - Open Vulnerability Assessment System - http://www.openvas.org/ back about 2009?


NetworkMiner

http://sourceforge.net/projects/networkminer/

NetworkMiner is a Network Forensic Analysis Tool (NFAT) for Windows that can detect the OS, hostname and open ports of network hosts through packet sniffing or by parsing a PCAP file


NotMyFault

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963901

Crash dump generator for Windows systems. Part of the infamous SysInternals collection.


Oxygen Forensics Suite

http://www.oxygen-forensic.com/en/download/

Mobile device (smart phone) forensics


Paladin

http://www.sumuri.com/index.php/joomla/what-is-paladin-forensic-software

Live (bootable) Linux distribution based on Ubuntu that simplifies the process of creating forensic images in a forensically sound manner.


ProDiscover Forensics

http://www.techpathways.com/prodiscoverdft.htm

Powerful computer security tool that enables computer professionals to find all the data on a computer disk while protecting evidence and creating evidentiary quality reports for use in legal proceedings. Basic version is $free.


SIFT Workstation

http://computer-forensics.sans.org/community/downloads

Created by SANS (http://www.sans.org) this is a suite of ready-run applications bundled in a Vmware system image or DVD ISO.


SleuthKit (TSK) and Autopsy

http://www.sleuthkit.org/

Both are open source digital investigation tools that run on Windows, Linux, OS X, and other Unix systems. They can be used to analyze disk images and perform in-depth analysis of file systems (such as NTFS, FAT, HFS+, Ext3, and UFS) and several volume system types.


Windows Sysinternals

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals

Advanced system utilities to help you manage, troubleshoot and diagnose Windows systems and applications


X-Ways Forensics

http://www.x-ways.net/forensics/index-m.html

Powerful professional forensic analysis tool, similar to WinHex.