Workshop: Rapid Endpoint Investigations with Patterson Cake

You’ve received a “true positive” security alert for a Windows or Linux endpoint. This is not a drill! Your environment is under attack! This is war and you need to take rapid, decisive steps to determine: 

• has the endpoint been compromised?
• have other systems been impacted?
• what actions should come next?

Together, through hands-on labs and demonstrations, we’ll walk through gathering artifacts from Windows and Linux endpoints using Velociraptor offline collectors, parsing and analyzing artifacts using PowerShell and KAPE, consolidating output, and rapidly identifying indicators of compromise!

Syllabus:

Rapid Endpoint Investigations

Section 1: Introduction and Context

1. Class overview and schedule (lecture)
2. Investigative workflow context (lecture)

Section 2: Workflow Methodology

1. Artifact Selection (lecture)
2. Artifact Acquisition (lecture)
3. Analysis Workflow (lecture)

Section 3: Tools & Techniques

1. Endpoint investigation tools (lecture/demo)
2. Building an artifact “collector” (lab)
3. Parsing triage data (lab)

Section 4: Case Studies

1. Windows case study (lecture/demo)
2. Windows triage-data analysis (lab)
3. Linux case study (lecture/demo)
4. Linux triage-data analysis (lab)

Section 5: Conclusion

1. Workflow and tool review (lecture)
2. References and resources (lecture)
3. Q&A

Virtual (June 6th, 2025)

• June 6th – 11 AM EST – 4 PM EST

System Requirements:

Attendees have two options for completing workshop labs: download and run a virtual machine locally (option 1) or use a cloud virtual machine via web browser (option 2). 

Option 1: Requirements – download and run VM locally

• CPU: x64 Intel/AMD architecture (min. x2 “logical” processors available for Virtual Machine)
• RAM: 4 GB available for Virtual Machine
• HDD: 50 GB available disk space (approx. 15 GB for OVA download; approx. 25 GB for Virtual Machine; approx. 2 GB for other course content)

Option 2: Requirements – access cloud VM via web browser

• You will need a web browser, to register via MetaCTF, and to pay a small fee for Virtual Machine resource utilization (approx. $5 for a four-hour workshop).

Who Should Attend:

• This workshop is intended for security analysts who review and respond to security alerts and perform endpoint investigations.

Audience Skill Level:

• Beginner/Intermediate