Individual skill
analyzing-prefetch-files-for-execution-history
Parse Windows Prefetch files to determine program execution history including run counts, timestamps, and referenced files for forensic investigation.
internal/tools/skills/data/digital-forensics/analyzing-prefetch-files-for-execution-history/SKILL.md
Source commit d42f381ad34843e71a42658e5c57290c713e85af
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- Scanner rules are current
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- Skill scan complete
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- Observed behavior
- Network or broad shell
- Last checked
- Nov 9, 2026
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- Repository stars (not skill ratings)
- 1,329
- Repository last updated
- Nov 9, 2026
- License
- Apache-2.0
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- cybersecurity Repository topic
- security Repository topic
- bug-bounty Repository topic
- automation Repository topic
- autonomous-pentesting Repository topic
- ai-agent Repository topic
- ai-security Repository topic
- ethical-hacking Repository topic
- golang Repository topic
- penetration-testing Repository topic
- forensics Declared skill tag
- prefetch Declared skill tag
- windows-artifacts Declared skill tag
- execution-history Declared skill tag
- timeline-analysis Declared skill tag
- evidence-collection Declared skill tag
- engineering Derived category
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# Analyzing Prefetch Files for Execution History
## When to Use
- When determining which programs were executed on a Windows system and when
- During malware investigations to confirm execution of suspicious binaries
- For establishing a timeline of application usage during an incident
- When correlating program execution with other forensic artifacts
- To identify anti-forensic tools or unauthorized software that was run
## Detection Gaps & Validation
- **Prefetch disabled or absent != no execution:** Prefetch is off by default on Windows Server, and on SSD systems `EnablePrefetcher` is often set to 0. An empty or sparse `C:\Windows\Prefetch\` does not mean nothing ran - confirm the policy at `HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters` before concluding "no execution," then pivot to Amcache/ShimCache/SRUM/Event Logs.
- **Most-missed details inside the .pf:** parse the up-to-8 last-run timestamps (not just the most recent), the run count, and the referenced-file list (loaded DLLs, opened data files). The embedded path hash matters: a hash that doesn't match the on-disk path means the binary ran from a different location (USB, deleted folder) than where it now sits.
- **Anti-forensics that defeats this analysis:** attackers delete individual `.pf` files or clear the folder - a present executable with no Prefetch, or a folder with fewer files than an active system accumulates, is itself suspicious. Recover deleted `.pf` from `$MFT`/unallocated and Volume Shadow Copies, and corroborate the gap with USN delete events.