Hayabusa vs X-Ways Imager
Hayabusa
github.comX-Ways Imager
x-ways.netSide by side
| Figure | Hayabusa | X-Ways Imager |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | 6.17 CHF/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Digital Forensics Software | 7.9 (#12) | 7.0 (#27) |
| Purpose | Hayabusa is a Windows event log forensics timeline generator and threat hunting tool. | X-Ways Imager is a forensic disk imaging tool and a stripped-down version of X-Ways Forensics focused on imaging functionality. |
| Support | The maintainers invite bug reports through GitHub and say the project is actively maintained and they are happy to fix reported bugs. | The maker lists general or technical inquiries by email and says to check the program help or user manual first. |
Plans
X-Ways Imager
- X-Ways Imager non-perpetual license74 CHF a year
- X-Ways Imager perpetual license157 CHF, paid once
In their own words
Hayabusa
Hayabusa is a free, open-source tool for Windows event log forensics and threat hunting. It processes EVTX logs from one host or thousands into CSV, JSON or JSONL timelines. Analysis features include computer and event ID metrics, logon summaries, keyword pivoting, HTML summary reports and MITRE ATT&CK mapping. It supports the Sigma specification, including v2 correlation rules; the project describes its curated detection rules as numbering over 4,000. The project says its multithreaded Rust implementation can deliver up to a 5x speed improvement and describes Rust as memory-safe. Hayabusa can run live on one system, process collected logs offline or hunt across endpoints through the Velociraptor Hayabusa artifact. Results can be imported into Elastic Stack, Timesketch and Timeline Explorer, while JSON can be analyzed with jq. Special Windows live-response packages bundle the program with encoded rules and configuration files to reduce files written to the system and help avoid antivirus false positives on YAML rule files. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, but no Linux ARM MUSL binary is provided because it does not run properly. The software uses AGPLv3; detection rules use DRL 1.1.
X-Ways Imager
X-Ways Imager has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.