When analysing a compromised Windows system, investigators and system administrators can glean enormously useful information about attackers' actions by looking through the Windows registry, a hierarchical database storing tens of thousands of settings on a modern Windows box. Whether an outside attacker compromised the box, an inside employee engaged in nefarious activities, or malware inexplicably infected the machine, the Windows registry contains wonderful gems of information for investigators. In this tip, we'll look at what information investigators can gather about user activity via the registry. Next month, we'll focus on how investigators can pull useful registry information associated with the overall operating system.
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