Peeking Through Windows: Forensics Tactics That Expose the Truth on Any PC 💻

Master Windows forensics by learning how to collect volatile and non-volatile data, analyze memory, registries, browser artifacts, and uncover key evidence hidden in files and metadata.

TL;DR 🔍

This module teaches you how to become a digital Sherlock Holmes on Windows machines. You’ll learn to extract data from RAM, comb through the registry, unmask sneaky browser activity, and analyze files like a boss. 🔍🧠

Why Windows Forensics Matters

Windows is the world’s most-used OS—aka the hackers’ favorite playground and the investigator’s best source of juicy digital evidence.

Whether it’s an insider threat or a ransomware hit, chances are the digital breadcrumbs lead back to a Windows machine. And you? You’re here to follow that trail.

Step 1: Collecting Volatile vs Non-Volatile Info (Before It Poofs 💨)

🔥 Volatile Information

This stuff is like a digital Snapchat—it disappears when the system powers off. Capture it fast!

Examples:

• Running processes

• Network connections

• Open ports

• Logged-in users

• RAM contents

Tools of the Trade:

• Tasklist, netstat, ipconfig, whoami

• Volatility Framework (for memory dumps)

• Belkasoft RAM Capturer

🧊 Non-Volatile Information

This data sticks around until someone deletes it (or tries to…).

Examples:

• Event logs

• Registry files

• File system metadata

• Browser history

• Prefetch files

Tools to Help:

• FTK Imager, X-Ways Forensics, Autopsy, Log Parser Studio

Step 2: Windows Memory Analysis (RAM = Real Action Mode)

RAM is the crime scene before the cleanup. If you get in fast enough, you’ll find:

• Malware in memory (that never touched the disk)

• Passwords in plaintext (yes, really 😬)

• Decrypted volumes

• Running processes and network activity

“Memory is often where the attacker hides—and where evidence lives longest before it fades.”
📚 – Michael Hale Ligh, “The Art of Memory Forensics”

Use Volatility with plugins like:

• pslist (view processes)

• netscan (network connections)

• cmdscan (command history)

• dlllist (loaded libraries)

Step 3: Registry Analysis (aka The Brain of the OS 🧠)

The Windows registry is a digital diary—everything leaves a footprint here.

🧩 Key Hives to Examine:

• HKLM\SYSTEM – Driver installs, system config

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run – Startup programs

• HKLM\SAM – User credentials (hashed)

• NTUSER.DAT – User activity

Registry Artifacts to Look For:

• Recent file access

• USB history

• Wi-Fi connections

• Installed apps

Tools:

• Registry Explorer

• RegRipper (like a vampire, but for keys and hives 🧛)

Step 4: Browser Forensics: Because Cookies Never Lie 🍪

If someone’s trying to cover their tracks online, browser data is where they usually slip up.

Browsers Store:

• Cache: Images, pages, scripts

• Cookies: Sessions, preferences

• History: URLs visited and timestamps

• Downloads: Files + origin links

Useful Tools:

• Browser History Capturer

• ChromeCacheView / MozillaCacheView

• Web Historian by Magnet Forensics

Bonus tip: Many forget Incognito mode still logs DNS, RAM, and registry data. You just have to know where to look. 😏

Step 5: Analyzing Files and Metadata (AKA Digital Fingerprints)

You think a file is just a file? Nah. It’s a snitch with a folder full of receipts.

File Metadata Includes:

• Creation/modification/access dates

• Author and software info

• GPS/location (for images/videos)

• Hidden alternate data streams (ADS)

What to Use:

• ExifTool (for image and doc metadata)

• FTK Imager (to see file system structures)

• PowerShell (Get-ItemProperty, Get-Content for deep dives)

And don’t forget about Windows Prefetch files (*.pf)—they tell you what was run and when. It’s like a to-do list, only with malware.

Forensics in Action: The Power of Prefetch

In one 2023 cybercrime case, a ransomware operator used a renamed executable to avoid detection. But investigators traced its execution through Windows Prefetch, which still logged the original path and timestamp.
📚 Source: SANS DFIR Summit 2023, Case Study on Windows Attack Traces

TL;DR Recap 🎯

• Capture volatile data immediately—memory doesn’t wait.

• Use registry analysis to reveal user habits and hidden configs.

• Dig into browser artifacts—cache, cookies, history = goldmine.

• Analyze files and metadata to uncover the who, what, when, and where.

• Your tools: Volatility, FTK Imager, RegRipper, ExifTool, and… caffeine. ☕💥

Your Next Digital Discovery Awaits

That was a tour through the guts of Windows. Hungry for more digital sleuthing?

👉 Check out our next module, where we pull apart Linux Forensics like a penguin with a grudge.

Forensics on the Wild Side: Mastering Linux and macOS Investigations - coming soon!

Tags: Windows Forensics, Memory Analysis, Registry Analysis, Browser Forensics, Metadata, EC-Council DFE, Digital Evidence, Cybercrime Investigation