Cloud Forensics: Uncovering Digital Clues

Let me be honest cloud forensics can feel like detective work in three different cities, all speaking slightly different languages. And yet, somehow, you still have to solve the same case.

Every platform has its own tools, naming styles, logs and even quirks. AWS wants you to check CloudTrail, Azure is asking you to dive into Activity Logs, and GCP is off on its own with Cloud Audit Logs. It takes time to get used to all of them.

But once you do, things start clicking.

Let me walk you through what this journey looks like, especially if you are figuring out how to investigate incidents across more than one cloud.

First Thing First About Cloud Forensics

Cloud is not just someone else’s computer anymore

We used to joke about it. But today, cloud is everywhere. Companies are running full workloads, storing sensitive data, and giving users access from anywhere. Which means when something bad happens and it will at some point you need to know where to look and how to trace it.

And the catch is this. You are not looking at a physical machine anymore. In cloud forensics, you need to pull clues from logs, metadata, identity traces and service activity. It feels invisible. Until you start putting the pieces together.

Cloud Forensics Beginning

Usually, it starts with a hunch. Maybe an alert from your SIEM. Or a user behaving oddly. Or someone saying they got a weird prompt at login. That is your starting point.

And from there, it goes something like this.

Similar Read: Tips and Tricks for Internal Penetration Testing

AWS – The Usual Suspect

With AWS, the first place I usually check is CloudTrail. This is where a lot of the important stuff lives — API calls, resource changes, failed logins, you name it.

Then there’s GuardDuty, which is great for catching some of the common threats automatically. But don’t just rely on that. You still want to manually review S3 access logs, VPC flow logs, IAM role activity and sometimes CloudWatch if an app is misbehaving.

One thing I have learned with AWS — attackers love misusing IAM permissions. So always check for role assumptions, privilege changes, and temporary token activity.

Azure – Feels Different but Works

Azure takes a slightly different path. You still get Activity Logs and Sign-in Logs. Those will give you a broad view of what is happening. But digging into Log Analytics helps a lot more when you are tracing something specific for cloud forensics.

Sentinel is Azure’s native SIEM and honestly, it’s gotten better over time. It gives you timeline views and cross-service queries which helps when you are putting pieces together.

A thing to watch for in Azure is token misuse or legacy auth. These often fly under the radar. Also, Azure AD sign-ins are gold — do not skip those.

GCP – Quiet but Full of Signals

GCP sometimes feels quiet compared to the others. But once you get the hang of its Cloud Audit Logs and Admin Activity, it gives some really useful details.

You want to look at service account activity closely. That is often where attackers go if they get access. Also, pay attention to unusual IAM changes or new permissions being added. That is usually your clue that something is off.

What Makes Cloud Forensics Hard?

Honestly, the hardest part is not the tools. It is the translation.

Every cloud provider logs things differently. One calls it an event. Another calls it an operation. One logs user agents. Another does not. Timezones are different. Formats are different. And when you are jumping between them, it takes mental energy.

But once you understand where the signals live in each one, you start to build a rhythm. You know where to look first. What to filter. What to ignore. What to cross check.

And that’s what good forensics work is knowing what noise to tune out and what clues to zoom in on.

Some simple advice

• Build your own cheat sheet for each cloud. Trust me, it helps.
• Use timestamps as your anchor. Match everything around them.
• Always check identity activity. People, roles, service accounts.
• Collect logs often. Retention settings in cloud are not always friendly.
• Ask questions. Most cloud incidents do not reveal everything upfront.

Final Thoughts

Cloud forensics can feel scattered in the beginning. But if you take it one platform at a time, you get better at it. And when you start connecting across clouds that is when it gets interesting.

This space is still growing. The tools are still evolving. But at the end of the day, it still comes down to knowing where to look, staying curious, and not stopping until the story makes sense.

If you are someone navigating cloud incidents or learning this stuff as you go, I would love to hear how you are approaching it. No one gets it perfect at first. We are all learning from each other out here.
Let’s keep sharing what works. One cloud at a time.