aeondave/volatility3

Volatility 3

Memory forensics — extract processes, network state, credentials, files, and malware artifacts from RAM images.

Installation

pip install volatility3
# or
git clone https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3 && cd volatility3 && pip install -e .

# Verify
python3 vol.py --help

# Alias (convenience)
alias vol='python3 /path/to/volatility3/vol.py'

Symbol Tables (Windows)

Volatility 3 auto-downloads symbol tables for most Windows versions. If offline:

# Download ISF symbol packs from:
# https://github.com/volatilityfoundation/volatility3/releases (windows.zip, mac.zip, linux.zip)
# Extract to: volatility3/volatility3/symbols/

# Verify symbols available
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw isfinfo

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Base Syntax

python3 vol.py -f <memory_image> <plugin>
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.pslist   # Windows plugin
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.pslist     # Linux plugin

Output to file:

python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.pslist > pslist.txt 2>/dev/null

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Windows Plugins — Full Reference

Process Analysis

# List processes (flat, fast)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.pslist

# Process tree (shows parent/child relationships)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.pstree

# Process scan (finds hidden/unlinked processes)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.psscan

# Compare pslist vs psscan — differences = hidden processes
diff <(python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.pslist 2>/dev/null | awk '{print $2}' | sort) \
     <(python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.psscan 2>/dev/null | awk '{print $2}' | sort)

# Detailed process info (PID, PPID, handles, threads, path)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.cmdline     # command line of each process
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.dlllist     # DLLs loaded per process
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.handles     # open handles (files, registry, mutexes)

# Filter by PID
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.dlllist --pid 1234
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.handles --pid 1234

Key fields in pslist:

• PID / PPID — process and parent ID
• ImageFileName — process name (max 15 chars — truncated!)
• CreateTime — when process started
• Offset(V) — virtual memory address

Suspicious indicators:

• svchost.exe with no parent services.exe
• explorer.exe with parent other than userinit.exe
• Duplicate lsass.exe, csrss.exe, smss.exe
• Process name with extra space or unicode lookalike

Network Analysis

# Active and recently closed connections
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.netstat

# All network artifacts (broader)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.netscan

# Sort by PID for process correlation
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.netscan 2>/dev/null | sort -k5 -n

Fields: LocalAddr, LocalPort, ForeignAddr, ForeignPort, State, PID, Owner, Created

Memory Region Analysis

# Virtual address descriptors (mapped memory regions per process)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.vadinfo --pid 1234

# Find VAD regions with executable + write (RWX) — injection indicator
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.vadinfo 2>/dev/null | grep -E "RWX|PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE"

# Memory map for a process
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.memmap --pid 1234

# Dump all memory pages of a process
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.memmap --pid 1234 --dump

Code Injection Detection

# Scan for injected code / process hollowing
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.malfind

# Malfind with dump (extract suspicious regions)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.malfind --dump --pid 1234

# Output: PID, process name, start address, VAD flags, MZ header bytes
# MZ header in rwx region = classic injected PE

Malfind output pattern — injection:

4608    explorer.exe    0x400000  PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE  MZ....

DLL and Module Analysis

# Loaded DLLs per process
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.dlllist

# Hidden/unlinked DLLs (rootkit indicator)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.ldrmodules

# Compare ldrmodules vs dlllist — discrepancies = hidden DLL
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.ldrmodules 2>/dev/null | grep "False"

# Kernel modules (drivers)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.modules
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.modscan   # includes unlinked

Credential Extraction

v2.28+: windows.hashdump, windows.cachedump, and windows.lsadump were removed. Use registry hive dump + secretsdump instead.

# Dump all registry hives from memory to a directory
mkdir hives
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw -o hives windows.registry.hivelist --dump
# Output: hives/registry.SAM.<addr>.hive, registry.SYSTEM.<addr>.hive, registry.SECURITY.<addr>.hive, etc.

# Offline credential extraction (impacket — shell glob expands to actual filename)
secretsdump.py \
  -sam hives/registry.SAM.*.hive \
  -system hives/registry.SYSTEM.*.hive \
  -security hives/registry.SECURITY.*.hive \
  LOCAL
# Output: Administrator:500:aad3b435...:NTHASH:::  LSA secrets, cached domain hashes

# Legacy (Volatility < 2.28 only — will error on 2.28+):
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.hashdump
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.cachedump
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.lsadump

Note: First run requires internet to fetch the ntkrnlmp symbol pack for the target OS version. Run foreground or in a persistent session — background jobs (e.g. nohup &) may be killed when the shell idles.

Registry

# List registry hives in memory
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.registry.hivelist

# Print registry key value
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.registry.printkey --key "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run"

# Dump full hive (offline parsing with regedit/regripper)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.registry.hivelist --dump

File Extraction

# Scan for file objects in memory
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.filescan

# Find specific file
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.filescan 2>/dev/null | grep -i ".exe"
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.filescan 2>/dev/null | grep -i "flag"

# Dump file by virtual address (from filescan output)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.dumpfiles --virtaddr 0xXXXXXXXXXXXX

# Dump all files (slow on large dumps)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.dumpfiles

# Dump process executable
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.procdump --pid 1234

Process and Memory Dump

# Dump full process memory
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.memmap --pid 1234 --dump

# Dump process executable (pe header reconstruction)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.procdump --pid 1234

# Dump specific DLL from process
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.dlllist --pid 1234 --dump

# Extract strings from dumped memory
strings -n 8 pid.1234.0x400000.dmp | grep -i flag

User and Session

# Logged-on users / session info
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.sessions
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.getservicesids

# Environment variables per process
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.envars --pid 1234

# Clipboard content
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.clipboard

Other Useful Plugins

# Scheduled tasks
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.scheduled_tasks

# Services (name, state, binary path)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.svcscan

# Mutexes (malware often creates unique mutex)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.handles --pid 1234 2>/dev/null | grep Mutant

# Atoms (message hooks, global vars)
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.atoms

# Detect process hooks
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.ssdt

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Linux Plugins

# Processes
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.pslist
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.pstree
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.psscan

# Network
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.netstat
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.iomem

# Files
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.proc.maps
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.find_file --path /etc/passwd
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.find_file --path /path/to/interesting/file

# Bash history from memory
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.bash
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.bashrc

# Environment variables
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.envars

# Kernel modules
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.lsmod

# Dump ELF from memory
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.proc.maps --pid 1234 --dump

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Investigation Workflows

Workflow 1: Full Windows triage

MEM="memory.raw"
vol() { python3 vol.py -f "$MEM" "$@" 2>/dev/null; }

# Phase 1 — baseline
vol windows.pslist > pslist.txt
vol windows.psscan > psscan.txt
vol windows.pstree
vol windows.netscan > netscan.txt
vol windows.cmdline > cmdline.txt

# Phase 2 — anomaly hunt
diff <(awk '{print $2}' pslist.txt | sort) <(awk '{print $2}' psscan.txt | sort)
grep -E "443|8080|4444|1337" netscan.txt        # suspicious ports
grep -E "Temp|AppData|ProgramData" cmdline.txt  # suspicious paths

# Phase 3 — injection check
vol windows.malfind > malfind.txt
grep -E "MZ|PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE" malfind.txt

# Phase 4 — credentials (v2.28+: hivelist dump + secretsdump; see Credential Extraction section)
mkdir -p hives; vol -o hives windows.registry.hivelist --dump
secretsdump.py -sam hives/registry.SAM.*.hive -system hives/registry.SYSTEM.*.hive -security hives/registry.SECURITY.*.hive LOCAL

# Phase 5 — artifacts
vol windows.filescan > filescan.txt
grep -iE "flag|secret|password|\.txt|\.docx" filescan.txt

Workflow 2: Find and extract suspicious process

# 1. Identify suspicious PID
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.psscan 2>/dev/null | grep -i "cmd\|powershell\|wscript"

# 2. Get command line
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.cmdline --pid 1234

# 3. Check injected memory
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.malfind --pid 1234

# 4. Dump process binary
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.procdump --pid 1234

# 5. Check strings in dumped binary
strings -n 8 pid.1234.*.exe | grep -iE "flag|key|pass|http|C2"

Workflow 3: File extraction from memory

# Find files of interest
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.filescan 2>/dev/null | grep -iE "flag|\.txt|\.zip|interesting"

# Get virtual address from output (3rd column)
# Example: 0xce89890 .\Users\user\Desktop\flag.txt

# Dump it
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw windows.dumpfiles --virtaddr 0xce89890

# If dump produces .dat file, check type
file file.0xce89890.dat
strings file.0xce89890.dat

Workflow 4: Linux credential recovery

# Bash history from memory
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.bash 2>/dev/null

# Find interesting env vars
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.envars 2>/dev/null | grep -iE "pass|key|flag|secret|token"

# Find /etc/shadow in memory
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.find_file --path /etc/shadow
python3 vol.py -f memory.raw linux.find_file --inode <inode_from_above>

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Quick Reference — Common Incident Patterns

| Goal | Command | |------|---------| | Find hidden processes | windows.psscan vs windows.pslist diff | | Find C2 connections | windows.netscan → look for unusual foreign IPs/ports | | Find injected shellcode | windows.malfind → MZ header in RWX VAD | | Recover deleted file | windows.filescan → windows.dumpfiles --virtaddr | | Dump credentials | v2.28+: windows.registry.hivelist --dump → secretsdump.py LOCAL; legacy: windows.hashdump/cachedump/lsadump | | Find target string in memory | windows.filescan grep indicator, then dumpfiles | | Bash history | linux.bash | | Suspicious env var | linux.envars grep key/flag/pass | | Network connections | linux.netstat / windows.netscan | | Process command line | windows.cmdline |

Resources

| File | When to load | |------|--------------| | references/ | Plugin cheatsheet, Windows/Linux image type notes, symbol troubleshooting |