1. Windows 7
Thumbnail Cache
Troy Larson
Principal Forensics Program Manager
TWC Network Security Investigations
NSINV-R3– Research|Readiness|Response
2. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
Thumbnail cache:
• Supplies the
thumbnails
shown in
Explorer, etc.
• File based:
– Thumbcache_*
• Local
– Thumbs.db
• Remote
3. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
• Created automatically when folders opened in Explorer in Icon
view.
• Thumbnail cache files retain thumbnail images long after the
source file has been deleted.
• Thumbs.db indicates a folder that has been shared.
Content of Folder
Content of Thumbcache_256.db
4. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
• Thumbnail cache files are likely to be worth investigating when:
– There is a concern about illicit images.
– There is a concern that graphic files have been deleted.
• Comprehensive review of Thumbnail cache files can be efficiently
performed.
– Number of tools scan and present the contents of thumbcache and
thumbs.db files, but some tools only work on certain versions of
Windows.
5. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
What is a thumbnail?
• It is an image that is used to represent an item.
– Picture or graphical items.
– But also, other files with images.
• Distinguished from a mere icon:
– Thumbnails are per item, rather than type, and
– Dynamically generated, based on item content.
– Stored separate from icon caches.
6. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
Per account, local based, thumbnail caches are found at
C:Users[Profile]AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsExplorer.
7. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
The local, account specific, thumbnail cache consists of an
index and 4 data files.
• Thumbcache_.idx—Index of which data files cache
each image.
• Image cache files:
– Based on thumbnail size.
• thumbcache_32.db, bitmap based, 32x32.
• thumbcache_96.db, bitmap based, 96x96.
• thumbcache_256.db, JPEG based, 256x256.
• thumbcache_1024.db, JPEG based, special instances.
– New thumbnails usually appended to a thumbcache file.
8. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
C:UserstroylaPictures
atomic-explosion.jpg
Chrysanthemum.jpg
Desert.jpg
ThumbnailCacheIds
• 0x81A9D28BFA8E4E59
• 0xEE0CAA5E28390724
• 0xDF17189B15C5C9CD
thumbcache_idx.db
thumbcache_32.db thumbcache_96.db thumbcache_256.db thumbcache_1024.db
ThumbnailcacheID
used to lookup
thumbnail address in
the Thumbcache_idx
Thumbcache_idx
provides offsets to
thumbcache_*.db
Thumbcache_*.db
provides thumbnails
to Explorer.
1
2
3
9. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
Thumbcache information does not point to any file.
• File information—ThumbnailcacheID—is used to find
thumbnail from the original file.
• No file name or path information in the thumbcache* files.
thumbcache_32.db thumbcache_96.db thumbcache_256.db thumbcache_1024.db
C:UserstroylaPictures
atomic-explosion.jpg
Chrysanthemum.jpg
Desert.jpg
10. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
Most Windows 7
thumbnail cache
viewers display the
thumbnail and the
ThumbnailcacheID.
0xEE0CAA5E28390724
http://www.thumbnailexpert.com/
11. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
Linking a thumbcache file thumbnail to its source:
• The Windows Search index maintains both path
and ThumbnailcacheID, and can be used to link
thumbnail to source.
0xEE0CAA5E28390724
18. Windows 7 Thumbnail Cache
Buffy-1C$UserstroylaPictures
Opening a shared folder using an icon view creates a thumbs.db file
in the shared folder.
Thumbs.db is independent of the user thumbnail caches on host
and client.
Existence of a thumbs.db file indicates a folder was remotely
accessed.