Analyzing Windows Execution Artifacts for Forensic Investigations

When a security incident occurs, understanding what programs ran on a system is critical to uncovering the attacker's timeline. Investigating Windows execution artifacts allows you to reconstruct user actions and process history with high precision. This text-based course guides you through the core artifacts used by digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) professionals to prove execution. You will gain the skills to analyze system evidence, trace malicious files, and confidently attribute activity to specific user accounts. What you'll learn: Understand foundational DFIR concepts and the mechanics of how Windows tracks execution; Analyze Prefetch files and Amcache to identify recently run applications; Interpret ShimCache and UserAssist registry entries to reconstruct program execution history; Decode key Windows Event IDs to track process creation and account activity; Apply modern parsing techniques to extract actionable timeline data from raw artifacts; Practice identifying evidence of execution through written real-world scenarios. You will start with essential terminology and forensic principles before moving step-by-step through analyzing each major artifact. By the end of the readings, you will understand how to combine these sources to build a cohesive forensic timeline. This course is designed for aspiring digital forensics analysts, system administrators, and cybersecurity beginners. No prior forensic experience is required. Start reading today to build your foundational skills in Windows forensic analysis.