KAPE & Autopsy Enterprise Automation | Mukesh Kumar Singh

Project Overview

This project provides a practical, open-source guide to building a scalable, automated, and cost-effective Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) system using KAPE (Kroll Artifact Parser and Extractor) and Autopsy (powered by Solr). Designed for real-time incident response and deep-dive forensic investigations across enterprise environments, this system eliminates the high costs typically associated with commercial DFIR solutions.

Originally developed and completed in mid-2020, this project remains a powerful and practical solution for organizations seeking a modular, automated DFIR workflow. The architecture supports seamless integration with existing enterprise tools including SIEMs, threat intelligence platforms, ticketing systems (e.g., ServiceNow), and other telemetry collectors.

✅ Automated Real-Time CollectionKAPE-based evidence gathering triggered by alerts or schedules

✅ Full Disk Forensic AnalysisAutopsy with Solr indexing for fast searching and correlation

✅ Enterprise IntegrationConnect with SIEM, ServiceNow, Threat Intel platforms

✅ Cost-Effective100% open-source — no commercial licensing required

Automated DFIR Pipeline

1. Trigger

SIEM alert, Ticket, Schedule

2. Collection

KAPE triage & collection

3. Processing

Autopsy, Solr indexing

4. Analysis

Forensic examination

5. Reporting

Findings, case management

# Trigger-based automation example
# 1. ServiceNow ticket created
# 2. KAPE triggered on affected endpoints
kape.exe --tsource C:\ --tdest \\server\cases\case_12345\ --target !SANS_Triage --module !EZViewer
# 3. Evidence ingested into Autopsy
autopsy --case case_12345 --ingest /evidence/path
# 4. Solr indexes for fast search
        

KAPE: Automated Evidence Collection

What is KAPE?Kroll Artifact Parser and Extractor — a triage tool that rapidly collects and parses forensic artifacts from Windows systems.

Key CapabilitiesTargeted artifact collection, modular architecture, custom modules, parallel processing, command-line automation.

Enterprise Deployment

Push DeploymentDeploy via SCCM, PDQ, or Group Policy

Remote ExecutionTrigger via PowerShell Remoting

Central StorageCollect to network shares or cloud

Custom ModulesOrganization-specific targets

Common KAPE Targets & Modules

!SANS_TriageComprehensive triage of key forensic artifacts

!EZViewerQuick artifact extraction and viewing

Custom TargetsBrowser artifacts, registry, event logs, MFT, USN journal

Autopsy with Solr: Full Disk Forensics

AutopsyForensic platform built on The Sleuth Kit. Supports disk imaging, file system analysis, timeline generation.

Solr IntegrationApache Solr provides enterprise-grade search indexing. Enables fast keyword searching across massive datasets.

Automated Ingestion Workflow

Phase	Automation Steps
Case Creation	Autopsy CLI creates case, adds evidence, configures ingest modules
Ingest Processing	Hash lookup, file carving, timeline generation, keyword search
Solr Indexing	Full text indexing for rapid search across all case data
Reporting	Automated report generation, HTML/PDF export

# Autopsy CLI automation example
autopsy --create-case /cases/CASE_001 --add-image /evidence/image.dd --ingest-modules "hashlookup,filetype,keywordsearch" --solr http://solr-server:8983/solr/autopsy
        

Enterprise Integration Architecture

SIEM IntegrationSplunk, Sentinel, QRadar, ELK — trigger collection on alerts

Ticketing SystemsServiceNow, Jira, TheHive — auto-create tickets

Threat IntelligenceMISP, OpenCTI — cross-reference findings

EDR IntegrationCrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender — supplement telemetry

# PowerShell automation for ServiceNow integration
$ticket = Get-ServiceNowTicket -Number "INC0012345"
if ($ticket.priority -eq "Critical") {
    Invoke-KAPE -Targets "!SANS_Triage" -Output "\\server\cases\$($ticket.number)"
    Start-AutopsyCase -CaseName $ticket.number
    Update-ServiceNowTicket -Status "Forensics In Progress"
}
        

Use Cases & Incident Types

Ransomware InvestigationCollect ransomware notes, encryption logs, C2 communications

Insider ThreatUSB activity, file access logs, email exfiltration

Phishing ResponseEmail artifacts, browser cache, download history

Malware OutbreakRapid triage across endpoints, hash correlation

Data BreachFull disk forensics to determine scope and timeline

Compliance InvestigationArtifact collection for HR, legal requirements

Project Components

📘 KAPE Basics & Advanced Usage
Getting started, customizing modules, enterprise deployment

🔌 Integration Patterns
SIEM, ServiceNow, Threat Intel, EDR connections

⚙️ Automation Architecture
Trigger-based collection, PowerShell automation

🧠 Autopsy Full Disk Forensics
Setup, automation, Solr indexing

🔗 KAPE + Autopsy Pipeline
Seamless automation between collection and analysis

📊 Reporting & Presentation
Automated findings, case management

Repository Structure

           KAPE-And-Autopsy-Enterprise-Automation/

          ├──  kape/   # KAPE modules, targets, deployment scripts

          ├──  autopsy/   # Autopsy config, Solr setup

          ├──  integrations/   # SIEM, ServiceNow connectors

          ├──  scripts/   # PowerShell, Python automation

          ├──  workflows/   # Incident-specific workflows

          └──  README.md   # Project overview

Explore the Repository