Understanding Memory Forensics with Volatility 3

Memory forensics is one of the most powerful techniques in a responder's toolkit. When a system is compromised, volatile memory holds evidence that never touches disk — running processes, network connections, injected code, encryption keys, and command histories. Once the machine is powered off, that evidence is gone forever.

Why Memory Forensics Matters

Traditional disk forensics examines artifacts left behind on storage media. Memory forensics goes further by capturing the live state of a system. This is critical for detecting:

• Fileless malware that operates entirely in memory
• Process injection techniques (DLL injection, process hollowing)
• Active network connections to C2 infrastructure
• Credential material in memory (Mimikatz-style attacks)
• Running processes and their parent-child relationships

Getting Started with Volatility 3

Volatility 3 is a complete rewrite of the popular Volatility Framework. Here's how to set it up and run your first analysis.

Installation

pip install volatility3

Acquiring a Memory Dump

Before analysis, you need a memory dump. Common acquisition tools include:

• WinPMEM — Open-source memory acquisition for Windows
• DumpIt — Single-click memory dump utility
• AVML — Acquire Volatile Memory for Linux
• LiME — Linux Memory Extractor (kernel module)

First Analysis Steps

Start by identifying the operating system profile:

vol -f memory.dmp windows.info

Then list all running processes:

vol -f memory.dmp windows.pslist

Look for suspicious processes using pstree to see parent-child relationships:

vol -f memory.dmp windows.pstree

Key Plugins for Incident Response

Detecting Process Injection

The malfind plugin scans for injected code segments with executable permissions:

vol -f memory.dmp windows.malfind

Look for memory regions with PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE permissions in unexpected processes.

Network Connections

Identify active and recent network connections:

vol -f memory.dmp windows.netscan

Cross-reference connection destinations with threat intelligence feeds to identify C2 communication.

Command Line Analysis

Extract command-line arguments for every process:

vol -f memory.dmp windows.cmdline

This is invaluable for understanding what commands an attacker executed, especially with cmd.exe or powershell.exe processes.

Building a Memory Forensics Workflow

A structured approach ensures you don't miss critical evidence:

1. Acquire — Capture memory using WinPMEM or equivalent
2. Identify — Determine OS version and system info
3. Survey — List processes, network connections, loaded modules
4. Investigate — Deep-dive into suspicious findings with malfind, handles, DLLs
5. Extract — Dump suspicious processes or files for further analysis
6. Correlate — Cross-reference with disk forensics, logs, and threat intel
7. Document — Record findings with timestamps for the incident report

Conclusion

Memory forensics bridges the gap between what traditional disk analysis can reveal and the full picture of a compromise. Mastering Volatility 3 gives incident responders a significant advantage in detecting sophisticated threats that deliberately avoid leaving disk artifacts. Practice regularly with CTF challenges and lab environments to build your proficiency.