Which of the following web browser uses the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) database format to store browsing records, including history, cache, and cookies?

Microsoft Edge and its predecessor, Internet Explorer, utilize the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) database format to store various browsing artifacts. This database, often found in the WebCacheV01.dat file, contains records for browsing history, cached files, and cookies. ESE, also known as Jet Blue, is a proprietary Indexed Sequential Access Method (ISAM) data storage technology developed by Microsoft. Forensic analysis of Windows systems frequently involves parsing this ESE database to reconstruct a user's web browsing activity. Other major browsers typically use different database formats, most commonly SQLite.

A. Safari: Safari, Apple's web browser, primarily uses the SQLite database format to store user browsing data, such as the History.db file.
B. Mozilla Firefox: Firefox stores its browsing history, bookmarks, and other data in SQLite databases, with places.sqlite being a key file for forensic analysis.
D. Google Chrome: Google Chrome, and other Chromium-based browsers, use SQLite as the underlying database engine for storing history, cookies, and other browsing records.

1. Anguiano, A. (2018). A Forensic Analysis of the Microsoft Edge Browser. University of South Wales. In Chapter 4, Section "WebCacheV01.dat," it is stated: "The main database file, WebCacheV01.dat, is an Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) database..." (p. 21).

2. Jang, Y., Lee, S., & Lee, S. (2016). Forensic analysis of web browser records on Windows 10. Digital Investigation, 18, 75-87. The paper's abstract and Section 3.1 state that Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge use the WebCacheV01.dat file, which is an ESE database, for storing browsing history and cache data. (p. 75, 78). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diin.2016.07.003

3. Microsoft. (2021). Extensible Storage Engine. Microsoft Docs. This official documentation describes ESE as a core Microsoft database technology used in numerous Windows components, which historically includes Internet Explorer and Edge's web cache. (Reference to its use in Windows products).