Chainsaw¶

What Chainsaw does¶

Guided SUSA tool journey

Chainsaw supports event-log analysis. In this guide, you will use it to apply a focused hunt to supplied EVTX files and validate one rule match. The procedure and screenshots provide the practical reference; the surrounding context explains what to record and how to judge the result.

Tool guide at a glance¶

Investigation task

Apply a focused hunt to supplied EVTX files and validate one rule match.

Starting material

A supplied EVTX set with host, channel, audit, and time-zone context.

Successful outcome

A validated event sequence with complete fields, surrounding records, and corroboration.

Evidence and safety

Treat rule matches as leads. Preserve EVTX files and do not rely on an event title or identifier alone. Record the input identifier, tool version, relevant commands or settings, time and time zone, output location, and any errors or limitations as you work.

Choose your journey¶

01Understand the evidenceLearn the event-log analysis concepts and limitations.Complete when you can explain what the evidence can and cannot show.Beginner · No tool required · 15–25 min 02Follow the Chainsaw guideWork through the commands, screenshots, and instructional sequence below.Complete when the documented workflow produces its expected output.Guided · SUSA workstation · Time varies 03Interactive labPractise the tool workflow in a safe browser simulation.Complete when the guided result is supported by the case evidence.Beginner · Browser only · 10–20 min 04Full LabInvestigate an authorised training scenario with fewer prompts and preserve a reviewable result.Complete when another analyst can reproduce and verify the outcome.Intermediate · Isolated lab · 45–90 min

How the labs complement this guide

The Interactive Lab is a safe browser simulation for practising the workflow and validation logic. The Full Lab is an independent exercise for an isolated, authorised environment. Confirm the installed tool version and expected output before relying on either exercise in a real case.

Accessing Chainsaw in SUSA¶

Chainsaw is a tool used to identify threats in Windows artefacts such as Event Logs and the MFT, supporting keyword searches and detection using Sigma rules and custom rules.

Download Chainsaw for Windows.

Extract the downloaded zip archive to C:\Tools. This will create a folder called chainsaw and extract contents in that folder.

Open a command prompt and navigate to C:\Tools\chainsaw. Clone the Sigma Rules and EVTX-Attack-Samples repositories:

cd C:\Tools\chainsaw
git clone https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma
git clone https://github.com/sbousseaden/EVTX-ATTACK-SAMPLES.git

$Screenshot: Open a command prompt and navigate to C:\Tools\chainsaw. Clone the Sigma Rules and EVTX-Attack-Samples repositories:$

Run Chainsaw with the parameters below to test it works without an error. This command will hunt through all evtx files using Sigma rules for detection logic and output in CSV format to the results folder.

.\chainsaw hunt EVTX-ATTACK-SAMPLES/ -s sigma/ --mapping mappings/sigma-event-logs-all.yml --csv --output results

You can view the sigma.csv with Timeline Explorer.