Digital forensics investigations aim to recover lost or hidden data and records from any cellular or mobile device. Think of digital forensics investigations as a sort of digital autopsy performed on an electronic device, the goal is to uncover any hidden connections or data that isn’t easily viewed from the outside. A mobile device is a cell phone, tablet, kindle, laptop, or any other WiFi or 5G-enabled device. Additionally, digital forensics can be done on these devices after they no longer work.
Many smartphones, tablets, and other wireless devices can connect wirelessly to a variety of other devices, including vehicle navigation systems, televisions, and home computers. If a smartphone is connected to another device via Bluetooth or WiFi, and the other device sends information back to the smartphone, someone could capture that information and analyze it.
Digital forensics involves two types of data that are pulled—data records and device records. Data records provide information on a device’s general workings while device records supply the same type of information and connect with cloud servers to provide a deeper analysis of content.
Data records for digital forensics investigation:
- Contacts
- SMS data
- SMS messages
- Location data
- Call log data
- Picture files
- Video files
- Audio files
- Email addresses
- Web browsing history
- Application data
Device records for digital forensics investigation:
- Contact list (special grouping of contacts)
- SMS messages (with attachments)
- MMS messages
- Call log data (with timestamps)
- Calendar data (with locations)
- Picture files
- Video files (with sound)
- Email messages (with attachments)
- Web browsing history
- Application data
- Application installation history
- User accounts
- Passwords
- Searched items
- File system status
- Unallocated space or deleted space
Digital forensics can be used to examine any mobile device’s records of its past use, including how the device was used, who used it, and where it was used. This information is vital for law enforcement agencies investigating crimes.
Digital forensics can also be used to recover deleted data from a mobile device. This includes messages sent and received, photos taken, web pages visited, and other information stored on a phone or tablet. Digital forensics experts can also use forensic tools to extract data from cloud services such as Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter.
Are you interested in learning more about digital forensics? Get started with a digital forensics investigation with Active Intel. Not ready to start your investigation just yet? Get a live, private consultation with a licensed private investigator through our partner TelaClient to discuss your case.
