impacket-ntfs-read

View documentation for the original command

$ tldr ntfs-read.py

impacket-ntfs-read [-h] [-debug] [-ts] [-share SHARE] [-path PATH] [-vss VSS] [-outputfile OUTPUTFILE] account@target

-h, --help
    Show help message and exit

-debug
    Turn DEBUG output ON

-ts
    Adds timestamp to every logging output

-share SHARE
    Share where the target filesystem resides (default: C$)

-path PATH
    Path to the target file or directory

-vss VSS
    VSS GUID to use

-outputfile OUTPUTFILE
    Filename to save the data to

account@target
    account: The account used to authenticate to the target. Can be domain\user, user@domain.com or just user.

impacket-ntfs-read is a Python script leveraging the Impacket library to read files from an NTFS volume, optionally utilizing Volume Shadow Copies (VSS) for accessing previous versions of files.
It connects to a target machine via SMB, authenticates using provided credentials (or tries to use provided hashes), and then browses the specified NTFS volume.
The script allows users to specify a path to a file or directory within the NTFS partition and retrieve its contents.
A key feature is its ability to interact with Volume Shadow Copies. If a VSS GUID is provided, the script will attempt to read the file or directory from that specific shadow copy, enabling access to older versions of the data.
Without VSS GUID, current versions of the files/folders will be accessible.
It is particularly useful in forensic investigations or data recovery scenarios where accessing historical versions of files is necessary.

Requires valid credentials or NTLM hashes to authenticate to the target system.
Relies on SMB protocol being enabled and accessible on the target.
Access to specific VSS instances may be restricted by permissions.
The target system needs to be online and accessible.
It can potentially be detected by security measures on the target system.

The script supports various authentication methods, including username/password and NTLM hashes.
If only a username is provided and no password or LM:NT hash are specified, the script will prompt for a password.

Using the `-vss` parameter allows access to historical versions of files stored within Volume Shadow Copies.
This is crucial for data recovery or forensic analysis where changes to files over time need to be examined.

impacket-ntfs-read is part of the Impacket suite, a collection of Python classes for working with network protocols.
It was developed to provide a convenient way to interact with NTFS filesystems over SMB, including support for Volume Shadow Copies. The development is focused on forensic and penetration testing use cases, providing access to system data through standard network protocols.