Package Install History

Overview

Evidence: Package Install History
Description: Collect Package Install History
Category: System
Platform: macos
Short Name: pkghist
Is Parsed: Yes
Sent to Investigation Hub: Yes
Collect File(s): No

Background

Package installation history tracks software installs by package IDs. This data is essential for change auditing, detecting unauthorized installs, and reconstructing software timelines.

Data Collected

This collector gathers structured data about package install history.

Package Install History Data

FieldDescriptionExample
PackageIDPackage IDExample value
NameNameExample value
VersionVersionExample value
SourceSourceExample value
ContentTypeContent TypeExample value
TimeTime2023-10-15 14:30:25+03:00

Collection Method

This collector queries the package_install_history table via osquery and records into package_install_histories.

Forensic Value

This evidence is crucial for forensic investigations as it reveals what was installed, when, and by whom, aiding attribution and scope analysis.