D3-FISV

Isolate
File Internal Structure Verification

Definition

The process of checking specific static values within a file, such as file signatures or magic numbers, to ensure they match the expected values defined by the file format specification.

How it works

File format specifications often define expected values for specific fields. A common example are file signatures, or magic numbers, which are used to quickly identify files. Another example is within the Compound Document Header of Microsoft Office files, the 29th and 30th byte identifies the byte order, specifically 0xFFFE for little-endian. This technique verifies that the file's static values match the values of the declared file format's specification.

Artifact Relationships

This defensive technique relates to specific digital artifacts.

analyzes
enforces
filters
File Internal Structure Verification
File Content Block
Content Policy
File

References

Reference - Carving Contiguous and Fragmented Files with Fast Object Validation Reference - Gathering Evidence: Model-Driven Software Engineering in Automated Digital Forensics