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mukul975 cb8d79e068 Map all 754 skills to MITRE ATT&CK v19.1
- Add validated mitre_attack frontmatter to all 754 skills (286 distinct
  techniques), verified against MITRE ATT&CK v19.1 via the official
  mitreattack-python library: 0 revoked, deprecated, or invalid IDs
- Curate precise per-skill technique IDs for forensics, malware-analysis,
  threat-intel, and red-team skills (e.g. DCSync -> T1003.006,
  Kerberoasting -> T1558.003, Pass-the-Ticket -> T1550.003)
- Reconcile v19.1 tactic restructuring: Defense Evasion split into
  Stealth (TA0005) and Defense Impairment (TA0112); revoked T1562.*
  family and T1070.001/.002 remapped to active equivalents (T1685.*)
- Normalize word-split tags across 35 skills (remove filename-derived
  stopword tags, add semantic cybersecurity tags)
- Add api-reference.md for 3 skills that were missing it
- Update README ATT&CK section with accurate v19.1 tactic distribution
2026-06-01 12:13:29 +02:00

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Markdown

---
name: analyzing-windows-prefetch-with-python
description: Parse Windows Prefetch files using the windowsprefetch Python library
to reconstruct application execution history, detect renamed or masquerading binaries,
and identify suspicious program execution patterns.
domain: cybersecurity
subdomain: digital-forensics
tags:
- digital-forensics
- windows
- prefetch
- execution-history
- incident-response
- malware-analysis
mitre_attack:
- T1036.005
- T1070.004
- T1070
- T1003.001
- T1057
version: '1.0'
author: mahipal
license: Apache-2.0
nist_csf:
- RS.AN-01
- RS.AN-03
- DE.AE-02
- RS.MA-01
---
# Analyzing Windows Prefetch with Python
## Overview
Windows Prefetch files (.pf) record application execution data including executable names, run counts, timestamps, loaded DLLs, and accessed directories. This skill covers parsing Prefetch files using the windowsprefetch Python library to reconstruct execution timelines, detect renamed or masquerading binaries by comparing executable names with loaded resources, and identifying suspicious programs that may indicate malware execution or lateral movement.
## When to Use
- When investigating security incidents that require analyzing windows prefetch with python
- When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
- When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
- When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques
## Prerequisites
- Python 3.9+ with `windowsprefetch` library (pip install windowsprefetch)
- Windows Prefetch files from C:\Windows\Prefetch\ (versions 17-30 supported)
- Understanding of Windows Prefetch file naming conventions (EXECUTABLE-HASH.pf)
## Steps
### Step 1: Collect Prefetch Files
Gather .pf files from target system's C:\Windows\Prefetch\ directory.
### Step 2: Parse Execution History
Extract executable name, run count, last execution timestamps, and volume information.
### Step 3: Detect Suspicious Execution
Flag known attack tools (mimikatz, psexec, etc.), renamed binaries, and unusual execution patterns.
### Step 4: Build Execution Timeline
Reconstruct chronological execution timeline from all Prefetch files.
## Expected Output
JSON report with execution history, suspicious executables, renamed binary indicators, and timeline reconstruction.
## Example Output
```text
$ python3 prefetch_analyzer.py --dir /evidence/Windows/Prefetch --output /analysis/prefetch_report
Windows Prefetch Analyzer v2.1
================================
Source: /evidence/Windows/Prefetch/
Prefetch Format: Windows 10 (MAM compressed, version 30)
Files Found: 234
--- Execution Timeline (Incident Window: 2024-01-15 to 2024-01-18) ---
Last Executed (UTC) | Run Count | Filename | Hash | Path
------------------------|-----------|-----------------------------|----------|------------------------------------------
2024-01-15 14:33:15 | 1 | Q4_REPORT.XLSM-2A1B3C4D.pf | 2A1B3C4D | C:\Users\jsmith\Downloads\Q4_Report.xlsm
2024-01-15 14:35:44 | 1 | POWERSHELL.EXE-A2B3C4D5.pf | A2B3C4D5 | C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
2024-01-15 14:36:30 | 3 | UPDATE_CLIENT.EXE-B3C4D5E6.pf| B3C4D5E6| C:\ProgramData\Updates\update_client.exe
2024-01-15 15:10:22 | 1 | NETSCAN.EXE-C4D5E6F7.pf | C4D5E6F7 | C:\Users\jsmith\Downloads\netscan.exe
2024-01-16 02:28:00 | 1 | PROCDUMP64.EXE-D5E6F7A8.pf | D5E6F7A8 | C:\Windows\Temp\procdump64.exe
2024-01-16 02:30:15 | 2 | MIMIKATZ.EXE-E6F7A8B9.pf | E6F7A8B9 | C:\Windows\Temp\mimikatz.exe
2024-01-16 02:40:00 | 4 | PSEXEC.EXE-F7A8B9C0.pf | F7A8B9C0 | C:\Users\jsmith\AppData\Local\Temp\psexec.exe
2024-01-17 02:45:00 | 1 | SDELETE64.EXE-A8B9C0D1.pf | A8B9C0D1 | C:\Windows\Temp\sdelete64.exe
2024-01-18 03:00:45 | 1 | WEVTUTIL.EXE-B9C0D1E2.pf | B9C0D1E2 | C:\Windows\System32\wevtutil.exe
--- Renamed Binary Detection ---
ALERT: UPDATE_CLIENT.EXE loaded DLLs consistent with Cobalt Strike beacon:
Referenced DLLs: wininet.dll, ws2_32.dll, advapi32.dll, dnsapi.dll, netapi32.dll
Volume: \VOLUME{01d94f2a3b5c7d8e-A4E73F21} (C:)
Directories referenced:
C:\ProgramData\Updates\
C:\Windows\System32\
--- Execution Frequency Analysis ---
Most Executed (Top 5):
1. SVCHOST.EXE (267 runs)
2. CHROME.EXE (189 runs)
3. EXPLORER.EXE (156 runs)
4. RUNTIMEBROKER.EXE (134 runs)
5. OUTLOOK.EXE (98 runs)
First-Time Executions (Never seen before incident window):
6 executables first run between 2024-01-15 and 2024-01-18
Summary:
Total prefetch files: 234
Suspicious executables: 6
Renamed binary indicators: 1 (update_client.exe)
Anti-forensics tools: 2 (sdelete64.exe, wevtutil.exe)
JSON report: /analysis/prefetch_report/prefetch_timeline.json
```