Browser Forensics: Uncovering Digital Clues

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In today’s digital world, tools like Belkasoft and Magnet Axiom are like superheroes of browser forensics. You snap a screenshot, run the tool, and boom—you have all the answers. It's almost like magic! ✨

But, let’s be real—those tools aren’t exactly cheap, and not everyone (especially freelancers or small businesses) can afford to shell out a small fortune for them.

So, what do we do when the fancy tools are out of reach?

Well, we roll up our sleeves and dive into the exciting world of manual browser forensics!

Yes, it’s more time-consuming, but trust me, it’s worth it.

Plus, the best part?

You’ll get to be the digital detective you’ve always wanted to be. 🕵️‍♂️

Don't worry if you feel overwhelmed by articles and technical jargon. Stick with me, and by the end of this series, you'll be a browser forensics pro—without the hefty price tag!

Let’s get started, and have some fun along the way! 😎

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Internet access is one of the most frequent user activities, making web browsers a key portal for online interactions. In cases like employee misuse, internet activity alone can serve as crucial evidence. In other investigations, while not the primary focus, browser data can provide valuable corroborating information. For instance, analyzing browsing history can reveal access to local files or network shares during an intrusion investigation.

We are going to explore the dominant browsers on Windows: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox. If you haven’t kept up with browser artifacts, you may be surprised at the vast amount of data stored by these applications.

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Understanding Browser Artifacts

We must determine what a piece of trace evidence represents and how it relates to key investigative questions. Internet browsers store a wealth of user data, commonly referred to as artifacts. While many types of browser artifacts exist, three fundamental categories form the foundation of most browser forensic investigations:

• History Databases

• Browser Cache

• Cookies

These artifacts help us build a profile of user activity—identifying visited websites, frequency of access, timestamps, and user interactions. While these primary sources are invaluable, other artifacts can further corroborate findings and provide additional context. These include:

• Bookmarks – Indicating user intent and areas of interest.

• Download History & Default Download Folder – Revealing past file retrievals.

• Temporary Directories – Storing forgotten downloads.

• Auto-Complete Data – Providing insight into form submissions, search queries, and usernames.

However, history and cache files are often the first to be deleted by users. In such cases, these ancillary artifacts may be the only available sources of evidence.

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The Evolution of Web Browsers

The battle for browser dominance continues as organizations compete for market share in an increasingly web-driven world. Google Chrome has held the lead for years, while Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox have seen a decline. Microsoft introduced multiple browsers, with the latest iteration of Edge gaining traction. Meanwhile, Apple’s dominance in the mobile space has bolstered Safari’s market share.

The leading engines include:

• Blink (used by Chrome, Edge, Opera, and Brave) – A fork of the WebKit engine, dominating the market.

• Gecko (used by Mozilla Firefox) – The primary alternative to Blink.

• WebKit (used by Safari) – Initially developed by Apple.

Microsoft Edge previously used a proprietary engine (EdgeHTML), but later adopted Blink due to limited success.

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Investigating Browser Artifacts

The similarity among modern browsers simplifies forensic investigations. If you can analyze Chrome artifacts, you will find Opera and Brave to be nearly identical. This similarity, however, presents challenges when carving artifacts from unallocated disk space or memory, as determining the exact source browser can be difficult. A strong set of forensic tools and the ability to manually parse browser databases are essential skills for investigators.

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Next Step: Google Chrome Forensics

In the next few sections, we will dive into multiple browser forensic, exploring how to extract and analyze its artifacts effectively.

First we are going to start with Google Chrome

--------------------------------------------Dean------------------------------------------------------