A Prescription for Windows Prefetch Analysis

Source: SANS Blog Author: unknown URL: https://www.sans.org/blog/a-prescription-for-windows-prefetch-analysis/

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:

The Siftgrab update enhances Excel functionality for analyzing Windows Prefetch files through automated templates, pivot tables, and slicers.

MAIN POINTS:

  1. A new Siftgrab function generates preformatted Excel workbooks for data analysis.
  2. Workbooks include pivot tables and slicers for visualizing complex relationships.
  3. Windows Prefetch files optimize system performance by caching frequently used files.
  4. Prefetch files are identifiable by the “.pf” extension and contain execution data.
  5. The prefetchruncount.py script flattens Prefetch results into a single CSV file.
  6. CSV outputs help compare load files and executable names with timestamps.
  7. Users can apply customizable Excel templates for improved data presentation.
  8. Siftgrab integrates slicers for various Windows data sources, enhancing usability.
  9. Custom dashboards can be created to visualize information from multiple pivot tables.
  10. Tools like csv2XLSheet automate importing and formatting CSV files into Excel.

TAKEAWAYS:

  1. The new Siftgrab features vastly improve the efficiency of Windows file analysis.
  2. Pivot tables and slicers simplify complex data relationships for users.
  3. Siftgrab facilitates user-friendly interactions with extracted Prefetch data.
  4. Automation allows for quicker reports and data presentations in Excel.
  5. Leveraging these tools enhances data analysis capabilities in DFIR contexts.