[PROCDUMP]

Advanced process memory dumping tool for malware analysis, memory forensics, and crash investigation

Difficulty: Advanced

Category: Advanced

Key Features

Memory Dumping

Create full or targeted memory dumps of processes

Trigger Conditions

Dump on CPU usage, memory thresholds, or exceptions

Hang Detection

Automatically detect and dump unresponsive processes

Command Line

Flexible command-line interface for automation

Basic Usage

Simple Memory Dumps

# Dump process by PID

procdump 1234

# Dump process by name

procdump notepad.exe

# Create full dump (includes all memory)

procdump -ma suspicious.exe

Triggered Dumps

# Dump when CPU usage exceeds 50% for 5 seconds

procdump -c 50 -s 5 application.exe

# Dump on memory usage over 1GB

procdump -m 1024 memory_hog.exe

# Dump on exception

procdump -e -w crashy_app.exe

Advanced Dump Techniques

Malware Analysis

# Dump malware process immediately

procdump -ma malware.exe C:\\analysis\\malware_dump.dmp

# Monitor and dump on network activity

procdump -e -w -f "" malware.exe

# Clone process (create suspended copy)

procdump -r malware.exe

Hang and Performance Analysis

# Detect hung window and dump

procdump -h application.exe

# Multiple dumps with interval

procdump -n 5 -s 10 -c 25 cpu_intensive.exe

# Monitor for specific time period

procdump -t -w service.exe

Command Line Options

Option	Description	Example
-ma	Full dump (all process memory)	procdump -ma notepad.exe
-c [CPU%]	Dump when CPU usage exceeds threshold	procdump -c 80 app.exe
-m [MB]	Dump when memory usage exceeds threshold	procdump -m 512 app.exe
-e	Dump on unhandled exception	procdump -e app.exe
-h	Dump on hung window	procdump -h gui_app.exe
-n [count]	Number of dumps to create	procdump -n 3 -c 50 app.exe
-s [seconds]	Seconds between dumps	procdump -n 5 -s 30 app.exe
-w	Wait for process to start	procdump -w new_app.exe
-r	Clone process (reflection)	procdump -r malware.exe

Security Use Cases

🦠 Malware Analysis

Capture malware memory for static analysis and reverse engineering.

# Dump malware process

procdump -ma 1234 malware.dmp

🔍 Memory Forensics

Extract credentials, decrypted data, and runtime information.

# Full memory dump for analysis

procdump -ma target.exe evidence.dmp

🚨 Incident Response

Capture suspicious process memory during security incidents.

# Emergency process dump

procdump suspicious_process.exe

🧪 Dynamic Analysis

Monitor malware behavior and capture state changes.

# Monitor CPU spikes

procdump -c 90 -w malware.exe

Analyzing Memory Dumps

Analysis Tools

Visual Studio Debugger (WinDbg):

Microsoft's official debugging tools for crash dump analysis

Volatility Framework:

Open-source memory forensics framework for advanced analysis

HxD/010 Editor:

Hex editors for manual inspection of memory dumps

Strings:

Extract readable strings from memory dumps

What to Look For

Cleartext passwords: Credentials stored in process memory
Encryption keys: Cryptographic material used by malware
Configuration data: C2 servers, URLs, file paths
Injected code: Shellcode and payloads in memory
Network artifacts: IP addresses, domains, protocols
File system paths: Directories and files accessed

Best Practices & Tips

Use full dumps (-ma) for analysis: Full dumps contain all process memory including heap and stack

Specify output directory: Direct dumps to specific folders for better organization

Monitor resource usage: Large processes can create multi-gigabyte dump files

Use process cloning (-r) for analysis: Safe way to create suspended copy without affecting original

Combine with other tools: Use with Process Monitor and Process Explorer for complete analysis

Security & Legal Considerations

⚠️ Sensitive Data Exposure

Memory dumps may contain sensitive information including passwords, personal data, and cryptographic keys. Handle with appropriate security controls.

⚠️ Legal Compliance

Ensure compliance with data protection regulations (GDPR, CCPA) when capturing and analyzing process memory containing personal information.

⚠️ System Impact

Memory dumping can temporarily freeze processes and consume significant disk space. Plan accordingly for production systems.

Get ProcDump

Download ProcDump as part of the Sysinternals Suite

Download ProcDump.exe