Parsing Artifacts with Eric Zimmerman Tools

Authorized Use Only: These tools parse evidence acquired from systems. Only analyze data you are authorized to handle, maintain chain of custody, and work from forensic copies rather than originals.

Overview

Eric Zimmerman's Tools (EZ Tools) are a free, open-source suite of high-fidelity Windows forensic parsers, each focused on a specific artifact class and each producing analyst-ready CSV/JSON output. They are the de facto standard for Windows artifact analysis and are what KAPE's !EZParser module invokes under the hood. Key tools include:

• MFTECmd — parses $MFT, $J ($UsnJrnl), $Boot, $SDS, and $LogFile from NTFS volumes.
• PECmd — parses Windows Prefetch (.pf) for evidence of program execution.
• RECmd — registry hive parser/searcher driven by batch plugins (RECmd Batch files).
• SBECmd — parses ShellBags (folder access history) from UsrClass.dat/NTUSER.DAT.
• AmcacheParser — parses Amcache.hve for application execution and metadata.
• AppCompatCacheParser — parses ShimCache (AppCompatCache) from SYSTEM hive.
• LECmd — parses LNK shortcut files. JLECmd — parses Jump Lists. EvtxECmd — parses EVTX event logs to a normalized schema.

Output is designed to load into Timeline Explorer (also by Eric Zimmerman), a fast CSV/Excel viewer purpose-built for filtering, tagging, and pivoting across forensic CSVs. The 2025+ releases run on .NET and also work natively on Linux.

When to Use

• After triage collection (e.g. with KAPE) when you need to parse raw artifacts into structured, searchable evidence.
• To establish program execution, file/folder access, and persistence during incident response.
• To build artifact-specific CSVs that feed timelines, Timesketch, or SIEM ingestion.

Prerequisites

• Download EZ Tools via the official downloader (keeps tools current):

  # Download/update all .NET 6 tools into C:\Tools\EZ
  .\Get-ZimmermanTools.ps1 -Dest C:\Tools\EZ
  

  Source: https://ericzimmerman.github.io/ and https://github.com/EricZimmerman/Get-ZimmermanTools
• .NET runtime (bundled with current releases).
• Forensic copies of the artifacts (mounted image, KAPE collection, or extracted hives).

Objectives

• Parse the MFT, prefetch, shellbags, registry, and amcache from a collection.
• Produce normalized CSV/JSON per artifact.
• Load results into Timeline Explorer for analysis.
• Establish execution and access evidence supporting the investigation.

MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

These are defensive parsers; the mapping reflects the artifact (registry) most relevant to the adversary behavior they help uncover.

Workflow

1. Download/update the tools

Keep parsers current so they handle the latest artifact formats.

.\Get-ZimmermanTools.ps1 -Dest C:\Tools\EZ

2. Parse the MFT for file-system activity

-f points at a single $MFT; --csv sets the output directory and --csvf the filename. Add --csvf for $J/UsnJrnl with -f $J.

MFTECmd.exe -f "E:\collection\C\$MFT" --csv "E:\out\mft" --csvf MFT.csv

REM Parse the USN Journal change log
MFTECmd.exe -f "E:\collection\C\$Extend\$J" --csv "E:\out\mft" --csvf UsnJrnl.csv

3. Parse Prefetch for execution evidence

-d recurses a directory of .pf files. Output CSV + JSON.

PECmd.exe -d "E:\collection\C\Windows\Prefetch" --csv "E:\out\prefetch" --csvf Prefetch.csv --json "E:\out\prefetch\json"

4. Parse ShellBags for folder-access history

-d points at the directory containing the user's UsrClass.dat/NTUSER.DAT (or -f a single hive).

SBECmd.exe -d "E:\collection\C\Users\jsmith" --csv "E:\out\shellbags"

5. Parse the registry with RECmd batch plugins

RECmd is driven by batch files (--bn) that bundle plugins; the Kroll_Batch file is comprehensive. -d recurses a directory of hives.

RECmd.exe -d "E:\collection\C\Windows\System32\config" --bn "C:\Tools\EZ\RECmd\BatchExamples\Kroll_Batch.reb" --csv "E:\out\registry" --csvf Registry.csv

REM Search a single hive for a value/key

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