Windows event logs
Event logging is a built-in mechanism for documenting various events related to the Windows operating system and various applications. It can be an extremely valuable source of evidence related to a human-operated ransomware attack as well.
In some cases, the threat actors may remove such logs to cover their traces, but even this may be a good indicator that the host was compromised.
By default, these log files are located under C:\Windows\System32\winevt\Logs
and have the .evtx
extension. Here are a few examples of these files:
Windows event logs can also be collected by implementing a SIEM (it's a very good idea to make sure the correct logs are captured) or EDR/XDR solution.
Let's look at some commonly used log files and event IDs:
- Security:
4624
– A logon to a system has occurred.4625
– A failed logon attempt.4720
–...