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You're reading from  Windows Forensics Analyst Field Guide

Product typeBook
Published inOct 2023
PublisherPackt
ISBN-139781803248479
Edition1st Edition
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Muhiballah Mohammed
Muhiballah Mohammed
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Muhiballah Mohammed

Muhiballah Mohammed is a cybersecurity expert and enthusiast, experienced in security operations centers, digital forensics, and incident response. With 10 years of experience, he has worked in a variety of roles in the cybersecurity field, including SOC analyst, consultant, and forensic investigator, and has helped build multiple entities' SOC and DFIR teams. He has experience in investigating a wide range of cyber incidents. Muhiballah is passionate about providing help to organizations so that they can protect themselves against cyber threats, and he is also a mentor and teacher to new students in the cybersecurity field. He loves sharing his knowledge and experience with others, and he is always looking for new ways to help people learn about cybersecurity.
Read more about Muhiballah Mohammed

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Analyzing $MFT

Within the realm of computer forensics, the Master File Table (MFT) assumes a pivotal role within the Windows operating system. Functioning as a repository, the MFT houses vital details pertaining to every file and directory stored on a computer’s hard drive.

The $MFT is one of the most important files within NTFS. This artifact keeps a record of all files in the volume, as well as the file location and metadata, and an entry for dates relating to creation, modification, and access. The information stored within this artifact is called MFT entries.

Each file has its own entry in $MFT, starting from 0 being the $MFT entry.

The structure of the MFT in NTFS is complex and consists of multiple records, each of which represents a file or directory on the NTFS volume. Each MFT record is 1,024 bytes, making the MFT very simple to parse. An MFT record has the following general structure:

  • File record header: This section contains information about the...
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Windows Forensics Analyst Field Guide
Published in: Oct 2023Publisher: PacktISBN-13: 9781803248479

Author (1)

author image
Muhiballah Mohammed

Muhiballah Mohammed is a cybersecurity expert and enthusiast, experienced in security operations centers, digital forensics, and incident response. With 10 years of experience, he has worked in a variety of roles in the cybersecurity field, including SOC analyst, consultant, and forensic investigator, and has helped build multiple entities' SOC and DFIR teams. He has experience in investigating a wide range of cyber incidents. Muhiballah is passionate about providing help to organizations so that they can protect themselves against cyber threats, and he is also a mentor and teacher to new students in the cybersecurity field. He loves sharing his knowledge and experience with others, and he is always looking for new ways to help people learn about cybersecurity.
Read more about Muhiballah Mohammed