Forensics · · 4 min read
Forensics Lab: Timeline Recovery
A digital forensics note for building a timeline from file metadata, archive structure, and visible artifacts.
#Forensics #Timeline #Metadata
Overview
The artifact set contains files with inconsistent timestamps and a small amount of embedded metadata. The goal is to produce a defensible event timeline.
Workflow
1. Hash the original evidence before analysis. 2. Extract archive contents into a working directory. 3. Compare filesystem timestamps with embedded metadata. 4. Build a short timeline that explains uncertainty explicitly.
Takeaways
- Keep originals read-only and document derived files separately.
- Timezone assumptions should be stated, not hidden.
- A timeline is stronger when each event has a source artifact.