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Agent skill

Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw

by mukul975 in mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills

Run Chainsaw against collected Windows EVTX files to hunt with the SigmaHQ rule corpus, built-in detection rules, and high-speed keyword/regex search, plus analyze shimcache, SRUM, and event-log…

Apache-2.0Auto-check passedSecurity

Install Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw

skills CLI
$ npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills --skill hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw .claude/skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw
GitHub stars
34k
Token cost
~2.1k tokens
SKILL.md length
745 words
Files
5 (incl. scripts, references)
Skills in repo
644
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

Run Chainsaw against collected Windows EVTX files to hunt with the SigmaHQ rule corpus, built-in detection rules, and high-speed keyword/regex search, plus analyze shimcache, SRUM, and event-log…

  • Works in 8 steps: Hunt EVTX with Sigma rules → Hunt with Chainsaw built-in rules plus… → Filter to reduce noise → …
  • Tasks that involve Security operations
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, When to Use, Prerequisites and Objectives, plus 4 more sections
  • Runs Python scripts from its folder; calls git and cargo; reaches github.com

What it does

Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw is an agent skill from mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills. Run Chainsaw against collected Windows EVTX files to hunt with the SigmaHQ rule corpus, built-in detection rules, and high-speed keyword/regex search, plus analyze shimcache, SRUM, and event-log gaps, outputting colorized tables, CSV, or JSON. Use during first-response triage for offline, SIEM-free detection over Windows event logs, or to quickly confirm a hunt hypothesis and produce reporting output.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 6 other files, including scripts and reference files (for example `references/api-reference.md`, `references/standards.md` and `scripts/agent.py`).

It sits in Security, covering Security operations and CSV and tabular files. It works with PowerShell. The repository describes itself as: 817 structured cybersecurity skills for AI agents · Mapped to 6 frameworks: MITRE ATT&CK, NIST CSF 2.0, MITRE ATLAS, D3FEND, NIST AI RMF & MITRE F3 (Fight Fraud) · agentskills.io…. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Security operations
  • Tasks that involve CSV and tabular files

Example prompts

  • “/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

8 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Hunt EVTX with Sigma rules
  2. Hunt with Chainsaw built-in rules plus Sigma
  3. Filter to reduce noise
  4. Output to CSV and JSON
  5. Targeted keyword and regex search
  6. Analyse shimcache for execution evidence
  7. Analyse SRUM and event-log gaps
  8. Dump and lint

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 54a7988. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Ships 1 file in scripts/ (Python), which the agent can run.

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • git
    • cargo

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • github.com

    Also links to:

    • ericzimmerman.github.io

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw loads about 2.1k tokens when it runs, and up to ~3.1k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 108 tokens; SKILL.md has 745 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~108
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.1k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~3.1k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills at commit 54a7988, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© mukul975). 745 words, ~2,122 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 4 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw
description
Run Chainsaw against collected Windows EVTX files to hunt with the SigmaHQ rule corpus, built-in detection rules, and high-speed keyword/regex search, plus analyze shimcache, SRUM, and event-log gaps, outputting colorized tables, CSV, or JSON. Use during first-response triage for offline, SIEM-free detection over Windows event logs, or to quickly confirm a hunt hypothesis and produce reporting output.
domain
cybersecurity
subdomain
threat-hunting
tags
chainsaw, threat-hunting, evtx, sigma, windows-event-logs, dfir, detection, shimcache
version
1.0
author
mahipal
license
Apache-2.0
nist_csf
DE.AE-02
mitre_attack
T1059.001

Hunting EVTX with Chainsaw

Overview

Chainsaw is a fast, Rust-based forensic artifact search and hunting tool from WithSecure Labs. It provides first-response capability to rapidly identify threats within Windows Event Logs (.evtx) and other artifacts. Chainsaw can hunt with the full SigmaHQ rule corpus (translating Sigma to its internal Tau engine), run its own built-in detection rules, perform high-speed keyword/regex search across logs, and analyse specialized artifacts such as the AppCompatCache (shimcache), SRUM database, and event-log gaps. Output can be a colorized table, CSV, or JSON for downstream tooling.

Chainsaw's strength is speed and flexibility during initial triage: an analyst can drop a folder of collected EVTX onto the tool and get back a prioritized set of detections in seconds, then pivot with targeted search queries to confirm a hypothesis. Unlike a SIEM, it needs no ingestion pipeline, runs as a single binary, and works fully offline against acquired evidence — ideal for the field or an air-gapped analysis VM. The --mapping file tells Chainsaw how Sigma fields translate to Windows event fields, which is what enables broad Sigma coverage over EVTX.

A common hunt outcome is detecting suspicious PowerShell — MITRE ATT&CK T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) — by running Sigma rules against PowerShell operational logs (Event ID 4104 script-block logging) or searching for encoded-command patterns. This skill maps to NIST CSF DE.AE-02 (potentially adverse events are analyzed to better understand associated activities).

When to Use

  • During first-response triage to rapidly hunt threats across collected Windows event logs.
  • When you need offline Sigma-based detection over .evtx without standing up a SIEM.
  • To run fast keyword/regex searches confirming or refuting a hunt hypothesis.
  • To analyse shimcache, SRUM, or event-log time gaps for execution evidence and tampering.
  • To produce CSV/JSON detection output for reporting or pipeline ingestion.

Prerequisites

  • Chainsaw binary. Download a release from GitHub or build from source:
    bash
    # Build from source (Rust toolchain required)
git clone https://github.com/WithSecureLabs/chainsaw.git
cd chainsaw && cargo build --release
./target/release/chainsaw --version
# or: nix profile install github:WithSecureLabs/chainsaw
  • The Chainsaw repo ships mappings/ (Sigma field mappings) and rules/ (Chainsaw rules).
  • A copy of the SigmaHQ rules for full Sigma coverage:
    bash
    git clone https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma.git
  • Collected Windows .evtx files (and registry hives like SYSTEM/Amcache.hve for shimcache analysis).

Objectives

  • Hunt collected EVTX with Sigma rules using the correct mapping file.
  • Filter detections by rule level, status, and kind to reduce noise.
  • Search logs by keyword, regex, and Tau expression for targeted confirmation.
  • Output detections as table, CSV, and JSON.
  • Analyse shimcache (with Amcache timestamp pairing), SRUM, and event-log gaps.
Show full SKILL.md (354 more words)Show less

MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

Technique IDOfficial NameWhy Chainsaw Detects It
T1059.001Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShellSigma rules over EID 4104/4103 and search flag malicious PowerShell
T1059.003Command and Scripting Interpreter: Windows Command ShellProcess-creation Sigma rules surface suspicious cmd usage
T1547.001Boot or Logon Autostart Execution: Registry Run Keys / Startup FolderSigma rules over registry events flag persistence
T1053.005Scheduled Task/Job: Scheduled TaskRules over EID 4698/106 detect task creation
T1070.006Indicator Removal: Timestompanalyse gaps and shimcache analysis reveal tampering/time gaps
T1204.002User Execution: Malicious FileShimcache analysis shows executed binaries

Workflow

1. Hunt EVTX with Sigma rules

Run the SigmaHQ corpus against collected logs using the bundled mapping file. The mapping translates Sigma fields to EVTX fields.

bash
chainsaw hunt ./collected_evtx \
  -s ./sigma/rules \
  --mapping ./mappings/sigma-event-logs-all.yml
2. Hunt with Chainsaw built-in rules plus Sigma

Combine Chainsaw's own rules (-r) with Sigma (-s) for broader coverage.

bash
chainsaw hunt ./collected_evtx \
  -r ./rules \
  -s ./sigma/rules \
  --mapping ./mappings/sigma-event-logs-all.yml
3. Filter to reduce noise

Limit results by Sigma rule level, status, and detection kind.

bash
chainsaw hunt ./collected_evtx -s ./sigma/rules \
  --mapping ./mappings/sigma-event-logs-all.yml \
  --level high --status stable --kind evtx
4. Output to CSV and JSON

Write structured output for reporting and pipelines.

bash
# JSON to stdout/file
chainsaw hunt ./collected_evtx -s ./sigma/rules \
  --mapping ./mappings/sigma-event-logs-all.yml --json > detections.json

# CSV into a directory (one file per detection group)
chainsaw hunt ./collected_evtx -s ./sigma/rules \
  --mapping ./mappings/sigma-event-logs-all.yml --csv --output ./csv_out

Confirm a hypothesis by searching raw events independent of rules.

bash
# Case-insensitive keyword search
chainsaw search "mimikatz" -i ./collected_evtx

# Regex for base64-encoded PowerShell commands, as JSON
chainsaw search -e "-[Ee]nc(odedCommand)?\s+[A-Za-z0-9+/=]{20,}" ./collected_evtx --json

# Time-bounded search using a Tau expression
chainsaw search ./collected_evtx -t 'Event.System.EventID: =4624' \
  --from "2026-06-01T00:00:00" --to "2026-06-20T00:00:00"
6. Analyse shimcache for execution evidence

Parse the AppCompatCache from the SYSTEM hive, pair it with Amcache timestamps, and pattern-match suspicious entries.

bash
chainsaw analyse shimcache ./SYSTEM \
  --regexfile ./shimcache_patterns.txt \
  --amcache ./Amcache.hve --tspair \
  --output ./shimcache_analysis.csv
7. Analyse SRUM and event-log gaps

Detect program/network usage and identify suspicious logging gaps (possible log clearing or timestomp).

bash
# SRUM database analysis
chainsaw analyse srum --software ./SOFTWARE ./SRUDB.dat -o srum.json

# Event-log gaps that may indicate cleared/tampered logs
chainsaw analyse gaps ./collected_evtx --min-time-gap-minutes 30 --json
8. Dump and lint

Inspect raw artifact content and validate custom rules before a hunt.

bash
chainsaw dump ./SOFTWARE --json --output dump.json
chainsaw lint -r ./rules --kind sigma

Tools and Resources

ToolPurposeSource
ChainsawFast EVTX/artifact hunting and searchhttps://github.com/WithSecureLabs/chainsaw
SigmaHQ rulesCommunity detection ruleshttps://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma
Chainsaw mappingsSigma-to-EVTX field mappingshttps://github.com/WithSecureLabs/chainsaw/tree/master/mappings
HayabusaAlternative Sigma EVTX timeline toolhttps://github.com/Yamato-Security/hayabusa
Timeline ExplorerReview CSV outputhttps://ericzimmerman.github.io/

Validation Criteria

  • Chainsaw binary installed and --version confirmed.
  • SigmaHQ rules and the correct mapping file available.
  • Sigma hunt run against the collected EVTX directory.
  • Chainsaw built-in rules combined with Sigma where appropriate.
  • Detections filtered by level/status/kind to reduce noise.
  • CSV and/or JSON output produced for reporting.
  • Targeted keyword/regex/Tau searches run to confirm findings.
  • Shimcache analysed with Amcache timestamp pairing.
  • SRUM and event-log-gap analysis performed where artifacts exist.
  • Findings (e.g., PowerShell T1059.001) documented for the hunt report.

© mukul975, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 4 other files (scripts, references) in skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw of mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • LICENSE
  • references/api-reference.md
  • references/standards.md
  • scripts/agent.py

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 54a7988

Compare with similar skills

Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw this skillmukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills34k—~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Threat Huntingbriiirussell/cybersecurity-skills413—~2.9kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Windows Log Hunterptn1411/skill219—~1kAutomated safety check: NotesNone
Security Alert Triageelastic/agent-skills5921 repos~3.5kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
Kubernetes Network Security Auditkubeshark/kubeshark12k—~7.3kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
Security Detection Rule Managementelastic/agent-skills5921 repos~3.9kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw

What does Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw do?

Run Chainsaw against collected Windows EVTX files to hunt with the SigmaHQ rule corpus, built-in detection rules, and high-speed keyword/regex search, plus analyze shimcache, SRUM, and event-log…. Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw is an agent skill from mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills. Run Chainsaw against collected Windows EVTX files to hunt with the SigmaHQ rule corpus, built-in detection rules, and high-speed keyword/regex search, plus analyze shimcache, SRUM, and event-log gaps, outputting colorized tables, CSV, or JSON.

When should I use Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw?

Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw fits situations like: tasks that involve Security operations; tasks that involve CSV and tabular files.

How do I install Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills --skill hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw in mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills) into .claude/skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw in Codex?

Run `npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills --skill hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw in mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills) into .agents/skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills --skill hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw, .gemini/skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw, .github/skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw and .opencode/skills/hunting-evtx-with-chainsaw in your project.

What does Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw needs Python for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (git and cargo). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw access the network?

SKILL.md names 2 domains. In commands or code: github.com; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. As links in the text: ericzimmerman.github.io. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw use?

Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw use?

About 2.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8.5k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 994 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw: Threat Hunting (briiirussell/cybersecurity-skills, 413 stars), Windows Log Hunter (ptn1411/skill, 219 stars), Security Alert Triage (elastic/agent-skills, 592 stars) and Kubernetes Network Security Audit (kubeshark/kubeshark, 12k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Hunting Evtx With Chainsaw?

mukul975 (a GitHub user) maintains it in mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills, which has 34,116 GitHub stars. The repository holds 644 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 31, 2026.

Source: mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.