Notes
Version History
Internet Explorer 4 uses index.dat URL cache v4.7
Internet Explorer 9 uses index.dat
Internet Explorer 10, 11 use WebCacheV01.dat
https://www.digital-detective.net/random-cookie-filenames/
"To mitigate the threat, Internet Explorer 9.0.2 now names the cookie files using a randomly-generated alphanumeric string."
http://hh.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:635743/FULLTEXT02.pdf p6
"With Internet Explorer 10, Microsoft changed the way of storing web related information.
Instead of the old index.dat files, Internet Explorer 10 uses an ESE database called WebCacheV01.dat" ...
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/edge_cookies_view.html
starting from Fall Creators Update 1709 of Windows 10, the cookies of Microsoft Edge Web browser are stored in the WebCacheV01.dat database
ESE database at %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WebCache\WebCacheV01.dat (%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\WebCache\WebCacheV01.dat)
CookieEntryEx_##
https://www.foxtonforensics.com/browser-history-examiner/microsoft-edge-history-location
v79+:
Edge Cookies are stored in the 'Cookies' SQLite database, within the 'cookies' table.
up to Edge v44:
Edge Cookies are stored in the 'WebCacheV01.dat' ESE database, within the 'CookieEntryEx' containers.
TODO: Older versions of Edge stored cookies as separate text files in locations specified within the ESE database. (?)
Text Cookies
http://index-of.es/Forensic/Forensic%20Analysis%20of%20Microsoft%20Internet%20Explorer%20Cookie%20Files.pdf # least and most significant switched
https://master.dl.sourceforge.net/project/odessa/ODESSA/White%20Papers/IE_Cookie_File_Reconstruction.pdf?viasf=1
https://www.consumingexperience.com/2011/09/internet-explorer-cookie-contents-new.html
Code
https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/330142/Cookie-Quest-A-Quest-to-Read-Cookies-from-Four-Pop#InternetExplorer1
https://sourceforge.net/projects/odessa/files/Galleta/20040505_1/galleta_20040505_1.tar.gz/download # wrong times
IE URL Cache Cookies
https://github.com/libyal/libmsiecf/blob/main/documentation/MSIE%20Cache%20File%20(index.dat)%20format.asciidoc
https://www.geoffchappell.com/studies/windows/ie/wininet/api/urlcache/indexdat.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20170427044924/http://www.latenighthacking.com/projects/2003/reIndexDat/
https://web.archive.org/web/20020811061516/http://www.conknet.com/~w_kranz/mswinbrz.txt
https://master.dl.sourceforge.net/project/odessa/OldFiles/Analysis_IEHistory.pdf?viasf=1
http://www.stevebunting.org/udpd4n6/forensics/index_dat1.htm
https://tzworks.com/prototypes/index_dat/id.users.guide.pdf
Code
https://github.com/bauman/python-pasco/blob/master/pasco/pascohelpermodule.c
https://www.geoffchappell.com/studies/windows/ie/wininet/api/urlcache/hashkey.htm?tx=20,78,83,84,88
https://doxygen.reactos.org/da/df8/dll_2win32_2wininet_2urlcache_8c_source.html # ReactOS
https://web.archive.org/web/20201006212958/https://tzworks.net/prototype_page.php?proto_id=6
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/iecookies.html
ESE Database Cookies
http://hh.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:635743/FULLTEXT02.pdf
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/libyal/documentation/main/Forensic%20analysis%20of%20the%20Windows%20Search%20database.pdf
https://github.com/libyal/libesedb/blob/main/documentation/Extensible%20Storage%20Engine%20(ESE)%20Database%20File%20(EDB)%20format.asciidoc
https://web.archive.org/web/20191220154919/https://bsmuir.kinja.com/windows-10-microsoft-edge-browser-forensics-1733533818
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/windows-10-microsoft-edge-browser-forensics-brent-muir
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/edge_cookies_view.html
https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/ese_database_view.html
https://www.digital-detective.net/dcode/ # time stamps
Test Environments
https://web.archive.org/web/20150410044551/https://www.modern.ie/en-us # test VMs
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/ # test VMs