Tornado FAQs
What is Binalyze Tornado?
Answer: The Preview Version of Binalyze Tornado is currently a free standalone desktop application designed to streamline and enhance evidence collection from cloud platforms like Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365. It enables investigators to gather essential artifacts such as email records, user access logs, and administrative actions. This tool addresses the need for efficient and comprehensive digital forensics in cloud environments, and it is particularly useful for security investigations and compliance audits.
Is Tornado really free to use?
Answer: Yes, Tornado is currently (after February 14, 2025) available as a free standalone application, making it accessible to a wide range of users, from small businesses to large enterprises, as well as partners, without any upfront costs. The current version of Tornado is a Preview version.
What can you expect from the future iteration of Tornado?
Binalyze has released a preview version of Tornado. Users are encouraged to share feedback using the form. It will help us refine and develop Tornado further as we continue to expand its capabilities, ensuring users can maximize its benefits and effectively conduct investigations.
The initial focus will be to expand and improve our evidence-collection capabilities. In the future, likely in the second half of 2025, Tornado will be integrated into AIR. This integration will enable DRONE to analyze collections, with key findings presented in the AIR Investigation Hub to support investigators.
Why is cloud forensics important, and how does Tornado contribute to this field?
Answer: Cloud forensics is a rapidly growing field due to organizations worldwide' increasing reliance on cloud services. However, standardized methodologies and enterprise-ready tools are lacking. Tornado addresses these challenges by offering a structured approach to evidence collection.
What can I collect with Tornado?
Answer: Currently, Tornado supports the collection of various data types from Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. This includes email data, access logs, audit logs, drive activities, and administrative actions. The specific artifacts available depend on the platform and your organization's configuration. This capability is crucial for organizations needing to perform detailed investigations and maintain comprehensive records of digital activities.
How does Tornado help with investigations?
Answer: Tornado is particularly valuable for Business Email Compromise (BEC) investigations. It allows investigators to quickly gather essential cloud-based evidence, including email records, access logs, and administrative actions. This streamlines the investigation process and helps organizations respond more effectively to security incidents.
How can I analyze the collected data?
Answer: Once the evidence is collected, you can download it as an SQLite database for analysis. If you're a Binalyze AIR user, you can also send the data directly to the Investigation Hub through API integration. This feature offers flexibility, allowing you to use AIR for further investigation or share the collection with other forensic tools or workflows. Learn more about AIR's Investigation Hub here.
What platforms does Tornado support?
Answer: Currently, Tornado supports Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace platforms. Future updates may include additional cloud platforms and expanded collection capabilities, ensuring that Tornado remains relevant and useful as cloud technologies evolve.
What inspired the creation of Binalyze Tornado?
Answer: Binalyze Tornado was born out of the need for a comprehensive and reliable tool in the emerging field of cloud forensics. While numerous open-source tools are available, many lack the support and structured methodology required for enterprise-level investigations. Tornado aims to fill this gap by providing a robust, enterprise-ready solution that adheres to established forensic principles and methodologies.
How does Tornado differentiate itself from other forensic tools?
Answer: Unlike many open-source forensic tools, Tornado offers a structured and supported approach to cloud forensics. It is designed to be a comprehensive solution that integrates seamlessly with existing workflows, providing a user-friendly interface and extensive support for cloud platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
Does Binalyze Tornado hash or timestamp collections?
Answer: No, Tornado does not currently hash or timestamp collections. This functionality will be implemented after Tornado is integrated into Binalyze AIR (H2 2025).
What are the key benefits of using Tornado for cloud-based investigations?
Answer: Tornado provides several key benefits, including comprehensive data collection capabilities, cross-platform support, and integration with existing forensic tools. It streamlines the investigation process, allowing organizations to quickly gather and investigate evidence, respond effectively to security incidents, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
What challenges does Binalyze Tornado address in cloud forensics?
Answer: Binalyze Tornado addresses several challenges in cloud forensics, including the lack of standardized tools for evidence collection, the complexity of integrating multiple cloud services, and the need for a user-friendly interface that can be used by both technical and non-technical users. By providing a comprehensive solution, Tornado simplifies the forensic process and ensures that organizations can effectively manage and analyze cloud-based data.
What kind of support does Binalyze provide for Tornado users?
Answer: Binalyze provides support for Tornado users, including detailed documentation, user guides, and technical assistance to address questions or issues that may arise during its use. Tornado is currently available as a free preview version, and we encourage users to share their feedback. While not all customer requests may be supported immediately, especially if they fall outside the current scope, your input is invaluable. It will help us refine and develop Tornado further as we continue to expand its capabilities, ensuring users can maximize its benefits and effectively conduct investigations.
How does Tornado handle updates and new feature releases?
Answer: Tornado will be updated with new features and improvements based on user feedback and advancements in cloud forensics. Binalyze will provide detailed release notes and documentation for each update, ensuring that users are informed of new capabilities and can take full advantage of the latest developments.
How does Binalyze Tornado support the development of cloud forensics methodologies?
Answer: Tornado is designed to evolve with the field of cloud forensics, incorporating feedback from users and industry experts to refine its methodologies and features. By providing a reliable and structured tool, Tornado helps establish best practices and standards in cloud forensics, contributing to the development of this emerging field.
How does Binalyze Tornado integrate with other Binalyze products?
Answer: Binalyze Tornado integrates seamlessly with Binalyze AIR to deliver a comprehensive Automated Investigation and Response platform driven by digital forensics. Tornado enables rapid cloud and machine-based evidence collections, while AIR provides detailed analysis and reporting, creating a cohesive and efficient forensic workflow.
What are the unique challenges of cloud forensics compared to traditional digital forensics?
Answer: Cloud forensics presents unique challenges, such as the dynamic nature of cloud environments, the shared responsibility model between cloud providers and customers, and the complexity of accessing and preserving data across distributed systems. Binalyze AIR and Tornado address these challenges by providing tools specifically designed for cloud environments, ensuring that evidence is collected and preserved in a forensically sound manner.
How does Binalyze Tornado support incident response teams?
Answer: Binalyze Tornado provides incident response teams with the tools they need to quickly gather evidence and enable effective forensic investigation of cloud environments. Its intuitive interface and comprehensive data collection capabilities enable teams to assess the scope of an incident, identify affected systems, and develop effective remediation strategies.
What future trends in cloud forensics is Binalyze Tornado preparing for?
Answer: Binalyze Tornado is preparing for future trends, such as the increased adoption of multi-cloud environments, the rise of containerized applications, and the growing importance of real-time threat detection and response. By continuously evolving its features and capabilities and listening to feedback from Tornado's preview users, Tornado aims to accompany the evolving needs of organizations and provide users with cutting-edge forensic tools.
What are the primary use cases for Binalyze Tornado?
Answer: Binalyze Tornado is primarily used for cloud-based digital forensics, focusing on evidence collection from platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. It is particularly useful for investigations involving Business Email Compromise (BEC), compliance audits, and incident response. Integrating with Binalyze AIR, it also expands cross-platform investigation capabilities closing investigation blind spots.
How does Tornado integrate with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace?
Answer: Tornado uses specific collectors, known as parselets, to gather data from Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. These parselets interact with the respective APIs to collect emails, logs, and other relevant data. The integration ensures comprehensive data collection for forensic analysis.
What are parselets, and how do they function within Tornado?
Answer: Parselets are specialized components within Tornado designed to collect and analyze evidence from cloud platforms. They function by interfacing with platform-specific APIs to gather data, which is then processed and stored for forensic analysis.
Example Scenarios Where Tornado Would Be Beneficial
Incident Response for Unauthorized Access Scenario: An organization suspects unauthorized access to its Microsoft 365 accounts. Using Tornado, the incident response team can quickly collect sign-in logs and audit logs to identify suspicious activities, such as unusual login times or locations.
Data Breach Investigation Scenario: After a data breach, an organization needs to determine the extent of the data accessed or exfiltrated. Tornado can be used to collect email data, drive activities, and administrative reports from Google Workspace to trace the breach's impact and identify compromised data.
Compliance Audit Preparation Scenario: An organization is preparing for a compliance audit and needs to ensure that all user activities and administrative actions are documented. Tornado can collect comprehensive reports and logs from both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, providing a clear audit trail.
Phishing Attack Investigation Scenario: An organization suspects a phishing attack targeting its employees. Using Tornado, the security team can collect and analyze email data from Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace to identify phishing emails, track their distribution, and determine which users were affected. This helps mitigate the attack and prevent future incidents.
Internal Policy Compliance Monitoring Scenario: A company wants to ensure compliance with internal communication policies. Tornado can be used to collect and analyze email and chat data to verify adherence to communication guidelines, identify any policy violations, and provide insights for improving policy enforcement.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Audit Scenario: An organization needs to audit its data loss prevention measures. Tornado can collect data on file sharing and access activities from Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive to identify potential data leaks and unauthorized access and ensure that sensitive information is adequately protected.
User Behavior Analysis Scenario: A company wants to understand user behavior patterns to enhance productivity and security. Tornado can collect and analyze data on user activities, such as login times, application usage, and communication patterns, providing insights into user habits and identifying areas for improvement.
Cross-Platform Security Assessment Scenario: An organization uses both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace and needs a comprehensive security assessment. Tornado can collect and analyze data from both platforms, providing a unified view of security posture, identifying vulnerabilities, and recommending improvements.
Forensic Investigation Training Scenario: A training institution wants to provide hands-on experience in cloud forensics. Tornado can be used as a training tool to simulate real-world scenarios, allowing students to practice evidence collection, analysis, and reporting in a controlled environment.
Last updated
Was this helpful?