Digital forensics rarely feels abstract when lived day to day. The Army teaches habits that never fade: slow down, verify everything, and leave a clear trail for anyone who comes after. Those habits shape how forensic work is done now, especially when working with browser artifacts that appear simple on the surface but carry important context beneath the surface. Living and working in Tampa, Florida, adds another layer of awareness—time zones, daylight saving shifts, and how easily timestamps can be misunderstood if handled casually.

One of the most common browser artifacts encountered in examinations is Firefox’s `places.sqlite` database. This single file quietly records both browsing history and bookmarks. Understanding how to extract it correctly from a forensic image and interpret its timestamps accurately separates casual review from defensible forensic analysis. Our process verifies hash values both before and after extraction to ensure data integrity. With preservation established, the workflow transitions to hands-on analysis.

The forensic image opens in a trusted, read-only tool such as FTK Imager, Autopsy, or X-Ways. Once mounted, the file system is visible. For Firefox on Windows, browser data is under the user profile path:

`Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<profileID>.default-release`.

Other operating systems store profiles differently, but Firefox always relies on the same internal structure.

Inside that profile directory is `places.sqlite`. This file logs browsing history and bookmarks. Before extraction, review its metadata—size and modified timestamps—to add context, though ultimate analysis relies on database timestamps.

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