Forensics Labs
Where Windows records what happened: execution evidence, registry hives, filesystem metadata, and the devices that were plugged in.
- Windows 11 Forensic Artifacts: Where Evidence of Program Execution Lives
Windows records that a program ran in at least six separate places, and they do not agree with each other. Here is what each artifact actually proves on Windows 11, and which one to trust.
Forensic artifact · Intermediate · T1057
- USB Device History on Windows 11: What the Registry Proves
Windows keeps a permanent record of every USB storage device ever attached, including serial numbers and first-connect times. Here is where it lives on Windows 11 and how to read it.
Forensic artifact · Beginner · T1052.001
- Triage a Suspected-Compromised Windows 11 PC in 30 Minutes
A fast, ordered pass over a Windows 11 machine you think is compromised, using only free tools. What to check, in what sequence, and how to tell a real finding from normal noise.
Attack and detection · Beginner · T1057, T1543
- SRUM on Windows 11: Reconstructing App, Network and Power Use
SRUDB.dat records how much data each application sent and received, hour by hour, for around 30 days. It is the only standard Windows artifact that ties a program to network volume.
Forensic artifact · Intermediate · T1020
- ShimCache vs Amcache vs Prefetch: Which One Proves Execution?
Three Windows artifacts get treated as interchangeable evidence that a program ran. Only one of them actually proves it. Here is what each records on Windows 11 and how to read them together.
Forensic artifact · Intermediate · T1057
- Reading the Windows Firewall Log (pfirewall.log) on Windows 11
Windows Firewall can log every allowed and dropped connection, but the logging is off by default. Here is how to turn it on, read the format, and find outbound traffic that should not be there.
Forensic artifact · Beginner · T1071
- Prefetch Files on Windows 11: Proving a Program Ran, and When
A .pf file records how many times a program ran and the last eight times it happened. Here is how to read Prefetch on Windows 11, and the three ways the evidence misleads you.
Forensic artifact · Beginner · T1057
- Event ID 4624 and Logon Types: Who Signed In to a Windows PC
Security event 4624 records every successful logon, but the Logon Type field is what makes it useful. Here is what each type means on Windows 11 and which ones should make you look twice.
Forensic artifact · Beginner · T1078
- How to Tell If a Windows 11 PC Was Remotely Accessed
RDP, TeamViewer and AnyDesk each leave a different trail on Windows 11. Here are the exact event IDs, log files and registry keys that show who connected, when, and from where.
Forensic artifact · Beginner · T1021.001, T1219
- Amcache.hve on Windows 11: What It Records and How to Read It
Amcache stores the SHA-1 of executables Windows has encountered — including ones already deleted. Here is how to parse it on Windows 11 and what its entries do and do not prove.
Forensic artifact · Intermediate · T1057