ftype-audit-safe

📘 FtypeAudit Documentation

Secure File Association Management for Windows
Version 1.0.0 | MIT License | GitHub Repository

Overview

FtypeAudit is a PowerShell-based toolkit for:

🔍 Analyzing file type associations
🧹 Cleaning invalid registry entries Built with safety-first principles and enterprise-grade auditing capabilities.

🛠 Installation

Method 1: Script Deployment

# Download and run directly
irm https://ftypeaudit.example.com/latest.ps1 | iex

Method 2: Module Installation

# Install from PowerShell Gallery
Install-Module -Name FtypeAudit -Scope CurrentUser

# Manual module placement
Copy-Item -Path .\FtypeAudit -Destination $env:PSModulePath -Recurse

Requirements:

PowerShell 5.1+ (Windows 10/11, Server 2016+)
Execution Policy: RemoteSigned
Admin Rights: Recommended for system-wide analysis

🔥 Core Features

Feature	Description	Safety Level
`Elevation Guard`	Warns when running unprivileged	⚠️ Advisory
`Dry-Run Mode`	Preview changes without execution	🛡️ Protected
`Registry Backup`	Automatic .REG file snapshots	🔄 Reversible
`Signature Validation`	Verify script integrity via PGP	🔐 Trusted
`MRU Forensics`	Detect historical handler drift	🔍 Investigative

🖥 Basic Usage

1. Analyze Associations

# Single extension analysis
Get-FileAssociation -Extension .pdf -Verbose

# Full system scan
Invoke-FullAssociationAudit -OutputFormat JSON

2. Cleanup Workflow

# Safe removal of invalid entries
Clear-AssociationArtifacts -Extension .docx -BackupPath ~/backups

# Force repair with confirmation
Repair-FileHandlers -Extension .ps1 -Force -Confirm:$false

3. System Integration

# Export settings for compliance
Export-AssociationPolicy -Path .\policy.json

# Import organizational standards
Import-AssociationPolicy -Path .\enterprise_rules.json

📋 Command Reference

Primary Commands

Command	Parameters	Output
`Get-FileAssociation`	`-Extension`, `-Depth`	Object
`Clear-AssociationArtifacts`	`-Backup`, `-Force`	Log
`Compare-AssociationProfiles`	`-Source`, `-Target`	Diff

Common Options

Flag	Purpose
`-WhatIf`	Simulation mode
`-Historical`	Show 30-day changes
`-DigitalSignature`	Verify code signature

🚨 Security

Critical Considerations

Registry Edits: Always validate backups

New-RegistryCheckpoint -Name "PreAudit"

Signature Verification

Get-AuthenticodeSignature .\FtypeAudit.ps1 | Verify-Signature

Least Privilege
Run user-level audits first:
```
Invoke-UserScopeAnalysis -CurrentUser
```

graph LR A[Start Audit] --> B{Admin Needed?} B -->|No| C[User-Level Scan] B -->|Yes| D[Elevated Session] C --> E[Review Findings] D --> E E --> F{Changes Required?} F -->|Yes| G[Backup → Dry-Run → Apply] F -->|No| H[Generate Report]

🧩 Advanced Scenarios

1. Pipeline Integration

# Bulk handler repair
Get-ChildItem *.log | ForEach-Object {
    Get-FileAssociation $_.Extension |
    Repair-FileHandlers -Policy Strict
}

2. Enterprise Automation

# Scheduled audit task
Register-ScheduledJob -Name "DailyFtypeCheck" -ScriptBlock {
    Import-Module FtypeAudit
    Invoke-FullAssociationAudit |
    Export-Clixml "\\server\audits\$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd).xml"
} -Trigger (New-JobTrigger -Daily -At 2AM)

3. Forensic Analysis

# Compare user vs system defaults
$user = Get-FileAssociation .pdf -Scope CurrentUser
$system = Get-FileAssociation .pdf -Scope AllUsers
Compare-AssociationProfiles -Reference $user -Difference $system

🚑 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Symptom	Solution
Access Denied	Run as Admin → `Start-Process powershell -Verb RunAs`
Missing Handlers	`Restore-DefaultHandlers -Extension .xlsx`
Ghost Entries	`Clear-AssociationArtifacts -Force -Backup`

Diagnostic Commands

# Registry health check
Test-AssociationStore -Scope AllUsers

# Handler resolution test
Resolve-FileHandler -Path example.rtf -Simulate

❓ FAQ

Q: How to handle UWP app associations?
A: Use Get-AppxHandlers for modern apps:

Get-AppxHandlers -Package *Microsoft.Paint*

Q: Why can’t I modify certain associations?
A: Some system-protected types require Group Policy overrides.

Q: Cross-user association management?
A: Use -Scope parameter:

Get-FileAssociation .mp3 -Scope AllUsers

📜 License

MIT License
Copyright (c) 2024 William Stetar

Permission is hereby granted... (standard MIT terms)

For full license text, see LICENSE.md

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