NTFS File System and Master File Table (MFT)

Bit Encoding and File Systems

• A group of eight bits is referred to as a byte.
• The encoding 'feff0041' represents the letter 'A' in UTF-16 little-endian encoding.
• Storing bytes with the smallest end first is known as little-endian byte ordering.

NTFS File System

• The Master File Table (MFT) records contain metadata about files, including file names, permissions, and location.
• When a file is created in NTFS, a new entry is added to the MFT.
• On Solid-State Drives (SSD), NTFS handles deleted files by marking them as deleted, but not actually deleting the data, to preserve SSD lifespan.

Hash Algorithms

• A hash algorithm being collision resistant means it is computationally infeasible to find two different input values with the same output hash value.
• One of the main usages of hash algorithms is data integrity, ensuring that data is not modified or tampered with.

Databases

• SQLite is a type of self-contained, serverless, zero-configuration, and transactional relational database engine.

Memory and Encryption

• A computer's memory is an important source for finding encrypted information because it may contain unencrypted data or decryption keys.