iOS Forensic Toolkit 10.12 extracts the full file system image and the decrypted keychain from yet another IoT device: Apple HomePod mini. This is the first file system extraction of the device; the method uses the usbliter8 bootloader exploit and a custom adapter. This guide covers the hardware, the extraction and analysis steps.

We’ve added bootloader-level low-level extraction support for the second-generation Apple TV 4K. While the older 4K model was compatible with the checkm8 exploit, the second-generation is based on a newer SoC that required a newer exploit, usbliter8. The exploit requires a custom adapter that uses a microcontroller board with our custom firmware.

iOS Forensic Toolkit 10.11 adds bootloader-level extraction for the Apple Watch Series 4, the Apple Watch Series 5, and the second-generation Apple TV 4K. This article gives the full procedure for each of the two Apple Watch devices. The method uses usbliter8, an exploit of the SecureROM, the read-only boot code in the chip. checkm8 works on Apple chips up to the A11 generation, while usbliter8 works on the generation after it.

Seven years after checkm8, iOS Forensic Toolkit 10.11 adds bootloader-level extraction for the Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5, as well as the second-generation Apple TV 4K. In each case the result is the full file system image and the decrypted keychain. This is the first time that the low-level extraction boundary has moved past the A11 generation, and the reason is a SecureROM exploit called usbliter8, published in June 2026.

A new update to iOS Forensic Toolkit is out. The headline feature is an alternative installation method for the extraction agent – that is, deploying it onto an iPhone while bypassing the mandatory pairing requirement. The agent can now be delivered across the network, which removes a number of limitations that came with the usual cable-based installation. One requirement up front: the device must already be unlocked – in other words, the passcode must be known. This method does not work with a fully locked iPhone.

Elcomsoft Phone Breaker 11.2 adds the ability to download iCloud backups created on devices running iOS and iPadOS 26 and, by extension, iOS/iPadOS 27 beta. With this release, Elcomsoft Phone Breaker becomes the first and only third-party tool capable of pulling these backups from Apple’s cloud. That might read like a routine compatibility update. It isn’t. In iOS 26, Apple reworked its iCloud backup mechanism from the ground up, breaking every third-party tool that relied on the previous scheme. Restoring access meant rebuilding a large part of our cloud extraction pipeline. Below is what changed, what we did about it, and where the current build still has rough edges.

Pulling a backup out of iCloud is one of the more technically demanding jobs in cloud forensics. An iCloud backup is not a single, ready-to-download file; instead, it is assembled from a large number of separate fragments that have to be collected and stitched back together into a coherent backup. Recent changes to Apple’s communication protocols broke things for everyone except Apple themselves, meaning that we had to rework the underlying extraction logic. This is documented in Elcomsoft Phone Breaker 11 Restores iCloud Access.

Extracting cloud data becomes increasingly valuable – and increasingly complex at the same time. In scenarios where a target device is physically unavailable cloud extraction is often the only real way to access evidence. This is particularly relevant when devices are secured by an unknown passcode or locked under Apple’s Stolen Device Protection framework without available biometric authentication, rendering traditional extraction techniques ineffective.

We’ve just updated iOS Forensic Toolkit to version 10.0, significantly expanding its low-level extraction capabilities for both the extraction agent and bootloader-based methods. Previously, agent-based extraction was capped at iOS 16.6.1. This release finally covers the remainder of the iOS 16 branch, and adds support for the entire iOS 17  branch as well as iOS 18 through 18.7.1. We have also expanded checkm8 support to cover all the latest OS updates pushed by Apple on devices susceptible to the exploit. Finally, we improved extended logical acquisition support for iOS/iPadOS 26, now pulling significantly more shared data than before.

Perfect Acquisition is the most reliable method to acquire data from an iOS device. It is completely forensically sound – it doesn’t modify a single bit of the filesystem. When supported, this method should always be used over alternatives. This guide outlines the entire process, from acquiring the data dump to decrypting and mounting it for analysis.