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Mobile Forensics Cookbook
Mobile Forensics Cookbook

Mobile Forensics Cookbook: Data acquisition, extraction, recovery techniques, and investigations using modern forensic tools

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Mobile Forensics Cookbook

Android Device Acquisition

In this chapter, we’ll cover the following recipes:

  • Preparatory work
  • Android device acquisition with Oxygen Forensic
  • Android device acquisition with MOBILedit Forensic
  • Android device acquisition with Belkasoft Evidence Center
  • Android device acquisition with Magnet Aсquire
  • Making physical dumps of Android device without rooting
  • Unlocking locked Android device
  • Acquiring Android device through Wi-Fi
  • Samsung Android device acquisition with Smart Switch

 

Introduction

Mobile devices running the Android operating system occupy more than 80% of the mobile devices market. The variety of the operating system versions and the hardware platforms on which they are used provide a wide range of data extraction methods. There is no such range of data extraction methods for any group of the following mobile devices: iOS devices, Windows Phone devices, and BlackBerry devices.  

The most common methods of data extraction from Android devices are as follows:

  • Logical extraction: This method allows to extract only certain types of logical data, such as Phonebook, Calls, Messages (SMS/MMS), and so on. As a rule, logical extraction requires the installation of an agent program that helps the mobile forensic software to extract data from a device. The installation of the program on the device is required by the hardware features of...

Preparatory work

You will have to perform a number of preparatory steps before performing data extraction from Android devices.

Preparing the mobile device

Before connecting the device to the computer, you need to activate the USB Debugging mode on the device. This mode enables the ADB server on the device.

USB Debugging is activated in the following ways:

For Android 2.0-2.3.x:

  1. Go to the menu of the device.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. In the Settings section, select Applications.
  4. In the Applications section, select Development.
  5. In the Development section, select USB Debugging.

For Android 3.0 to 4.1.x :

  1. Go to the menu of the device.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. In the Settings section, select Developer Options.
  4. In the Developer Options...

Android device acquisition with Oxygen Forensic

The program Oxygen Forensic has been already described previously in Chapter 1. In this chapter, the physical dump of a device via Oxygen Forensic will be shown. In order to make a physical dump, you need to have superuser’s permissions. You need to gain root access to the device in order to get superuser’s permissions. There are many ways to gain the root access at the Android device, the description of which is beyond the scope of this book. A special feature of Oxygen Forensic is that before the physical dump is made, the program tries to gain the root access automatically by means of consistent usage of different types of exploits. This function does not lead to any damage of the device. On one hand, this function is a great virtue, but on the other hand, it can be used only for a limited range of devices....

Android device acquisition with MOBILedit Forensic

The best mobile forensic software, such as: UFED (Cellebrite), Oxygen Forensic, XRY (Micro Systemation), Secure View (Susteen), MOBILedit Forensic can extract data from Android devices by installing an agent program on the device. It allows to make logical extraction of data from a device.

We will use the MOBILedit Forensic program to demonstrate this method of data extraction.  This program has been described in the Chapter 1, SIM Cards Acquisition and Analysis.

How to do it…

Let's now explore Android device acquisition with MOBILedit Forensic:

  1. When you start the program MOBILedit, the main window of the program displays information about the connected device...

Android device acquisition with Belkasoft Acquisition Tool

Belkasoft Acquisition Tool is a universal utility that allows you to create forensic copies of hard disks and mobile devices and extract data from cloud storages. You can get the program by filling in a short form on the developer's website. After that, you will receive an email with a link to download this program.

Getting ready

Download the archive and unpack the program. Connect the examined device to the computer. Click on the BAT icon.

How to do it…

  1. In the main window of the program, click on...

Android device acquisition with Magnet Aсquire

Magnet Acquire is a free utility designed to create forensic images of hard drives, memory cards, phones, and tablets. It can be downloaded from the Customer Portal on the Magnet Forensics website. Also, it comes with AXIOM and internet Evidence Finder.

Getting ready

Download the program and install it. Click on the program's icon to start it.

How to do it…

  1. Once started, Magnet Acquire looks for connected devices and displays their list in the window.
 A list of devices displayed in the Magnet Acquire...

Introduction


Mobile devices running the Android operating system occupy more than 80% of the mobile devices market. The variety of the operating system versions and the hardware platforms on which they are used provide a wide range of data extraction methods. There is no such range of data extraction methods for any group of the following mobile devices: iOS devices, Windows Phone devices, and BlackBerry devices.  

The most common methods of data extraction from Android devices are as follows:

  • Logical extraction: This method allows to extract only certain types of logical data, such as Phonebook, Calls, Messages (SMS/MMS), and so on. As a rule, logical extraction requires the installation of an agent program that helps the mobile forensic software to extract data from a device. The installation of the program on the device is required by the hardware features of the memory structure and security policy of mobile devices.
  • Backup: This method allows to extract only logical data from a device...

Preparatory work


You will have to perform a number of preparatory steps before performing data extraction from Android devices.

Preparing the mobile device

Before connecting the device to the computer, you need to activate the USB Debuggingmode on the device. This mode enables the ADB server on the device.

USB Debugging is activated in the following ways:

For Android 2.0-2.3.x:

  1. Go to the menu of the device.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. In the Settings section, select Applications.
  4. In the Applications section, select Development.
  5. In the Development section, select USB Debugging.

For Android 3.0 to 4.1.x :

  1. Go to the menu of the device.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. In the Settings section, select Developer Options.
  4. In the Developer Options section, select USB Debugging.
  5. Click on Ok to confirm the activation of USB Debugging mode.

For Android 4.2.x and higher:

  1. Go to the menu of the device.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. In the Settings section, select About device.
  4. In the About phone section, tap the Build Number field seven times. Then, you will see...

Android device acquisition with Oxygen Forensic


The program Oxygen Forensic has been already described previously in Chapter 1. In this chapter, the physical dump of a device via Oxygen Forensic will be shown. In order to make a physical dump, you need to have superuser’s permissions. You need to gain root access to the device in order to get superuser’s permissions. There are many ways to gain the root access at the Android device, the description of which is beyond the scope of this book. A special feature of Oxygen Forensic is that before the physical dump is made, the program tries to gain the root access automatically by means of consistent usage of different types of exploits. This function does not lead to any damage of the device. On one hand, this function is a great virtue, but on the other hand, it can be used only for a limited range of devices. On the internet, many methods of gaining root access for a great number of devices are described, but there is a possibility that applying...

Android device acquisition with MOBILedit Forensic


The best mobile forensic software, such as: UFED (Cellebrite), Oxygen Forensic, XRY (Micro Systemation), Secure View (Susteen), MOBILedit Forensic can extract data from Android devices by installing an agent program on the device. It allows to make logical extraction of data from a device.

We will use the MOBILedit Forensic program to demonstrate this method of data extraction.  This program has been described in the Chapter 1, SIM Cards Acquisition and Analysis.

How to do it…

Let's now explore Android device acquisition with MOBILedit Forensic:

  1. When you start the program MOBILedit, the main window of the program displays information about the connected device.

A fragment of the main window with information about the Android device

  1. Click on Report Wizard. It will open MOBILedit Forensic Wizard, which will extract data from the SIM card and generate a report.
  2. Fill in the fields: Device Label, Device Name, Device Evidence Number, Owner Phone Number...
Left arrow icon Right arrow icon

Key benefits

  • •Acquire in-depth knowledge of mobile device acquisition using modern forensic tools
  • •Understand the importance of clouds for mobile forensics and learn how to extract data from them
  • •Discover advanced data extraction techniques that will help you to solve forensic tasks and challenges

Description

Considering the emerging use of mobile phones, there is a growing need for mobile forensics. Mobile forensics focuses specifically on performing forensic examinations of mobile devices, which involves extracting, recovering and analyzing data for the purposes of information security, criminal and civil investigations, and internal investigations. Mobile Forensics Cookbook starts by explaining SIM cards acquisition and analysis using modern forensics tools. You will discover the different software solutions that enable digital forensic examiners to quickly and easily acquire forensic images. You will also learn about forensics analysis and acquisition on Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry devices. Next, you will understand the importance of cloud computing in the world of mobile forensics and understand different techniques available to extract data from the cloud. Going through the fundamentals of SQLite and Plists Forensics, you will learn how to extract forensic artifacts from these sources with appropriate tools. By the end of this book, you will be well versed with the advanced mobile forensics techniques that will help you perform the complete forensic acquisition and analysis of user data stored in different devices.

Who is this book for?

This book is aimed at practicing digital forensics analysts and information security professionals familiar with performing basic forensic investigations on mobile device operating systems namely Android, iOS, Windows, and Blackberry. It's also for those who need to broaden their skillset by adding more data extraction and recovery techniques.

What you will learn

  • •Retrieve mobile data using modern forensic tools
  • •Work with Oxygen Forensics for Android devices acquisition
  • •Perform a deep dive analysis of iOS, Android, Windows, and BlackBerry Phone file systems
  • •Understand the importance of cloud in mobile forensics and extract data from the cloud using different tools
  • •Learn the application of SQLite and Plists Forensics and parse data with digital forensics tools
  • •Perform forensic investigation on iOS, Android, Windows, and BlackBerry mobile devices
  • •Extract data both from working and damaged mobile devices using JTAG and Chip-off Techniques

Product Details

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Publication date : Dec 15, 2017
Length: 302 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785282058
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Publication date : Dec 15, 2017
Length: 302 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785282058
Category :
Concepts :

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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
SIM Card Acquisition and Analysis Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Android Device Acquisition Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Apple Device Acquisition Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Windows Phone and BlackBerry Acquisition Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Clouds are Alternative Data Sources Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
SQLite Forensics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Understanding Plist Forensics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Analyzing Physical Dumps and Backups of Android Devices Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
iOS Forensics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Windows Phone and BlackBerry Forensics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
JTAG and Chip-off Techniques Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Natasha Jun 19, 2018
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A true step-by-step, thorough "how-to" guide. Very pleased.
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