Difference between revisions of "SQLite database format"

Revision as of 05:15, 10 July 2014

SQLite databases are used by many programs including several forensics tools, e.g. Autopsy 3. SQLite 3 is current and older SQLite packages cannot use sqlite3 databases so use sqlite3 tools.

SQLite3

SQLite version 3 uses a page-based storage where the pages are used for various types of data e.g. there are:

• lock-byte pages
• freelist pages
  • freelist trunk pages
  • freelist leaf pages
• B-tree pages
  • table B-tree interior pages
  • table B-tree leaf pages
  • index B-tree interior pages
  • index B-tree leaf pages
• payload overflow pages
• pointer map pages

Write-Ahead Log (WAL)

The default method by which SQLite implements atomic commit and rollback is a rollback journal. In version 3.7.0 a "Write-Ahead Log" option was added.

Temporary sqlite files

Seen in e.g.

/Users/%USERNAME%/AppData/Local/Temp/etilqs_%RANDOM%

Where "etilqs" is "sqlite" in reverse

Use Cases

Web Browser Data

Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome both use SQLite version 3 databases for user data such as history, downloaded files.

Mobile OS

Google Android and Apple iOS use SQLite3 databases for many system applications. Phone data including calls, messages, and credentials are all stored in SQLite3.

External Links

• The SQLite Database File Format, by the SQLite project
• Write-Ahead Logging, by the SQLite project
• Carving SQLite databases from unallocated clusters, by Richard Drinkwater, April 27, 2011
• Recovering Data from Deleted SQLite Records: Redux, by John Lehr, September 13, 2013

Tools

• SQLite
• SQLite Forensic Reporter