Log2Timeline

Log2Timeline is a command-line tool used in digital forensics to extract timestamped events from a variety of log sources and to produce a chronological timeline. It is a core component of the Plaso framework and is designed to consolidate disparate artifacts into a single event chronology that can aid investigations and incident response.

Origin and design: Log2Timeline was developed to standardize the extraction of timeline data from many forensic sources. It operates with a plugin-based architecture, where parsers interpret particular log formats and generate standardized event objects with timestamps, sources, and metadata. The tool is open-source and cross-platform, running on Windows, macOS, and Linux as part of the Plaso project.

Workflow: Users typically collect forensic artifacts from a target system, run log2timeline to build a Plaso storage file (commonly with a .plaso extension), and then use a companion tool such as psort to sort, filter, and export the timeline to human-readable formats such as CSV or HTML. The output can be used to identify activity patterns and correlate events across devices and sources.

Features and scope: log2timeline supports parsing a broad set of artifact types through parsers, including Windows event logs, browser histories and cache, file system metadata, and various application logs. Its design emphasizes timezone awareness, event normalization, and auditability of the generated timeline.

See also: Plaso, Psort, Digital forensics timelines.