In the fast-paced world of digital forensics and incident response (DFIR), building a comprehensive timeline of Windows artifacts can be a time-consuming bottleneck.
Forensic-Timeliner, an open-source command-line utility, aims to eliminate this hurdle by automating the collection, filtering, and merging of CSV outputs from popular triage tools into a single, analysis-ready timeline.
Developed by Security Researchers and hosted on GitHub, Forensic-Timeliner swiftly scans a designated directory for CSV exports generated by tools such as EZ Tools, KAPE, Axiom, Chainsaw, Hayabusa, and Nirsoft.
It then merges data from critical Windows artifacts, including Amcache entries, Event Logs, Master File Table (MFT) records, Prefetch files, JumpLists, ShellBags, and browser histories into a unified CSV that can be loaded directly into Timeline Explorer or Excel for deeper analysis.
One of Forensic-Timeliner’s standout features is its Automatic CSV Discovery.
Leveraging default YAML configurations, the tool recognizes CSV files through folder names, file names, or column headers, minimizing the need for manual setup.
This plug-and-play approach ensures that DFIR teams with varied triage outputs can get started immediately.
To focus investigations on the most relevant timeframe, Forensic-Timeliner offers Date Filtering and Deduplication.
Investigators can specify start and end dates to include only pertinent events, while an optional deduplication step removes redundant entries, keeping timelines concise without sacrificing completeness.
Keyword tagging elevates the tool’s forensic value. By defining keywords in a YAML file, users can enable Keyword Tagging and TLE Session Support, producing a Timeline Explorer (.tle_sess) session that highlights tagged events.
This makes it easier to pinpoint suspicious activity across thousands of timeline entries at a glance.
For those who prefer guidance, the Interactive CLI and Preview mode walk users through filter and tagger settings.
Thanks to Spectre. Console rendering, investigators can preview MFT filters, event log filters, and keyword groups before processing, ensuring configurations align with investigative goals.
Forensic-Timeliner supports multiple output formats to suit diverse workflows.
Export options include RFC-4180 compliant CSV, JSON, or JSONL, facilitating seamless integration with downstream analysis tools or custom scripts.
Advanced users can leverage detailed YAML configurations to tailor file extension filters, path filters, event channels, and providers, zeroing in on high-value artifacts.
Getting started is straightforward. After downloading the latest release of ForensicTimeliner.exe (version 2.2 or newer) from the project’s GitHub releases page, DFIR teams simply point the tool at triage data directories and choose their processing mode.
automates the entire timeline creation. To enable keyword tagging, users define keyword groups in config/keywords/keywords.yaml
producing both a CSV and a .tle_sess file ready for Timeline Explorer.
By streamlining CSV discovery, filtering, deduplication, and tagging, Forensic-Timeliner dramatically reduces the manual effort required to build investigative timelines.
Its interactive CLI and flexible output options make it a must-have tool for DFIR practitioners aiming to save time, boost accuracy, and maintain situational awareness during critical incident response operations.
Find this Story Interesting! Follow us on Google News, LinkedIn, and X to Get More Instant Updates
%20(1).webp?resize=1600,900&ssl=1&description=Forensic-Timeliner, an open-source command-line utility, aims to eliminate this hurdle by automating the collection, filtering){kind=link}