The Minidump is not a Portable Executable (PE); it is a structured stream container based on the . Its header is defined by the MINIDUMP_HEADER structure (32 bytes), containing a signature ( MDMP ), version, number of streams, and a flags field.
Inside the Blue Screen: A Forensic Deep-Dive into the Minidump File Format minidump file
| Feature | User-Minidump (e.g., via MiniDumpWriteDump ) | Kernel-Minidump ( C:\Windows\minidump ) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Capture scope | Single process | Kernel address space + active processes | | Required privilege | PROCESS_ALL_ACCESS | SeBackupPrivilege / LocalSystem | | Common use | Malware unpacking, credential dumping | Blue Screen analysis, rootkit detection | | Notable artifact | LSA secrets, browser cookies | IRQL stack trace, interrupt table | The Minidump is not a Portable Executable (PE);