Interactive 3D visualization of network traffic in time for forensic analysis

This paper outlines a novel approach to 3D visualization of network traffic. Existing approaches, which present node-graphs in 3D space may not be making the best use of the advantages of 3D. By combining the time component of network traffic data with nodal information and displaying these on separate planes it should be possible to provide analysts with insights that go beyond just the nodal information. The goal of allowing analysts to quickly form a mental map that corresponds with the network traffic ground truth may be achieved with this approach. The visualization approach is demonstrated through development of a tool which implements the approach and discusses its application to a recent network forensics challenge.