Secure File Transfer Monitoring System

Hey there! This is my cybersecurity internship project. Basically, it's a lightweight Python tool that watches folders, logs file transfers, checks for file tampering using SHA-256 hashes, and shouts alerts if someone moves sensitive files where they aren't supposed to go (like a random USB or external folder).

---

What does it actually do?

• File Logging: Keeps track of when files are created, moved, or modified.
• Integrity Checks: Generates SHA-256 hashes so you can tell if a file got messed with or corrupted.
• Unauthorized Movement Detection: Triggers an alert if sensitive extensions (like .env, .pem, .xlsx) get dumped into restricted folders.
• Audit Trail: Dumps everything into an audit_trail.log file so you have proof.

---

Project Structure

secure_file_monitor/
│
├── monitor.py      # The main engine watching the folder
├── integrity.py    # Handles the SHA-256 hashing logic
├── logger.py       # Handles console colors and writing to audit_trail.log
└── monitored_folder/ # The sandbox folder being watched

---

How to Run It (Quick Setup)

1. Clone or download this repo & open your terminal inside the folder:

cd secure_file_monitor

2. Install dependencies: You only need watchdog for tracking file system events.

pip install watchdog psutil

3. Run the script:

python monitor.py

It will automatically create a folder called monitored_folder. Drop some files in there, move them around, and watch the terminal work its magic!

---

Testing it out

1. Run python monitor.py.
2. Drop a regular text file inside monitored_folder -> Check the console for the hash log.
3. Make a subfolder named external_usb inside monitored_folder.
4. Drop a file named config.env in there and drag it into the USB folder -> Boom! Red alert.

---

Tech Stack

• Python (Cuz it's awesome and fast to write)
• Watchdog library (For real-time file system monitoring)
• Hashlib (For SHA-256 integrity checksums)

Feel free to fork or use this as a base for your own security projects! Peace out. ✌️