Memory Acquisition and Volatility Framework
Acquire RAM images with WinPmem, use Volatility 3 to list processes, network connections, and injected code.
Memory Acquisition and Volatility Framework is a free Cyber Security Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 2 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Cyber Security Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.
Why Memory Analysis Matters
RAM contains running processes, network connections, encryption keys, passwords, injected code, and attacker artifacts that may never touch disk. Fileless malware exists only in memory. Memory analysis captures evidence that disk forensics completely misses.
Memory Acquisition with WinPmem
WinPmem is a free, open-source memory acquisition tool for Windows. It creates a raw memory dump that Volatility can analyze. Run as administrator to capture all physical memory including kernel structures.
winpmem_mini.exe -o memory.raw
# Verify size matches installed RAMLiME for Linux Memory Acquisition
Linux Memory Extractor (LiME) is a kernel module that acquires RAM and writes to a file or sends over the network. Use the network method for live incident response to avoid writing the dump to the potentially compromised system.
Volatility 3 Introduction
Volatility 3 is the leading memory forensics framework. It requires a symbol table for the target OS version to interpret kernel structures. Key commands: windows.pslist, windows.pstree, windows.netstat, windows.dlllist, windows.malfind.
vol -f memory.raw windows.pslist
vol -f memory.raw windows.pstree
vol -f memory.raw windows.netstatProcess Analysis
windows.pslist lists running processes. Compare against known-good baselines. Look for: processes running from unusual paths (%TEMP%, %APPDATA%), parent-child anomalies (winword.exe spawning cmd.exe), and processes with no associated disk file (hollowing indicator).
Network Connections in Memory
windows.netstat extracts TCP connections from memory — including recently closed connections not visible in live netstat output. Identify C2 connections: foreign addresses resolving to known bad IPs or unusual ports for common process names (svchost.exe to external IPs).
DLL Injection Detection
windows.dlllist shows loaded DLLs per process. Compare to known-good DLL lists. Unusual DLLs in explorer.exe or svchost.exe, DLLs with no path, or DLLs with suspicious names in system processes indicate injection.
Malfind: Detecting Code Injection
windows.malfind identifies memory regions with PAGE_EXECUTE_READWRITE protection and no backing disk file — a classic sign of process injection or shellcode. It dumps the suspicious memory region and shows the first bytes for analysis.
Extracting Strings from Memory
Run strings against the memory dump or specific process dumps extracted by Volatility. Memory strings often contain C2 URLs, encryption keys, decoded payloads, and credentials that were never written to disk during execution.
Handles and Registry in Memory
windows.handles shows open file handles, registry keys, mutexes, and events per process. Mutex names are strong IOCs — once identified in one incident, hunting for the same mutex in other memory dumps finds related malware across the environment.
Memory Forensics Workflow
Systematic workflow: (1) Profile identification, (2) Process enumeration and anomaly detection, (3) Network connection review, (4) DLL injection scan, (5) Malfind, (6) Suspicious process dump, (7) String extraction, (8) IOC extraction and reporting.
Knowledge Check
Why is fileless malware particularly challenging for traditional forensic methods?
Summary
Memory forensics captures volatile evidence invisible to disk analysis. Using WinPmem for acquisition and Volatility 3 for analysis — examining processes, network connections, injected code, and DLL anomalies — reveals fileless malware and attacker activity that would otherwise go undetected.
Frequently asked questions
Is the “Memory Acquisition and Volatility Framework” lesson free?
Yes — the full text of “Memory Acquisition and Volatility Framework” is free to read here on the web, and the Cyber Security Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Cyber Security Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.
What will I learn in “Memory Acquisition and Volatility Framework”?
Acquire RAM images with WinPmem, use Volatility 3 to list processes, network connections, and injected code. You practise Cyber Security Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.
Do I need any experience to start Cyber Security Academy?
No prior experience is required. Cyber Security Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 2 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.
How long does the “Memory Acquisition and Volatility Framework” lesson take?
Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.
Can I write and run code in this Cyber Security Academy lesson?
Yes. Every Cyber Security Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.
All lessons in this course
- Disk Imaging and File System Forensics
- Memory Acquisition and Volatility Framework
- Timeline Analysis and Artifact Correlation
- Network Forensics with Wireshark