Intelligent Load Balancing: Optimizing Password Recovery Across Heterogeneous Units
November 14th, 2024 by Oleg Afonin
In the latest update of Elcomsoft Distributed Password Recovery (EDPR), we’ve introduced a revamped load-balancing feature. The new feature aims to enhance resource utilization on local workstations across diverse hardware configurations. This update has drastically reduced the time required to break passwords in certain hardware configurations, thanks to a refined load distribution algorithm. In this article, we’ll share some technical details on how load balancing leverages a mix of GPUs and CPU cores.
Microsoft Office 40-bit Encryption and Thunder Tables in Advanced Office Password Recovery
December 20th, 2021 by Oleg Afonin
Before the end of this year, we are releasing one last update. Advanced Office Password Recovery can now break 40-bit encryption in Microsoft Office documents, and gains support for Thunder Tables. What are Thunder Tables exactly, and is 40-bit encryption still relevant? Read along to find out.
WhatsApp Explorer: End-to-End Encrypted Backups and Compatibility Improvements
December 16th, 2021 by Oleg Afonin
WhatsApp is the fastest growing instant messenger app. With over 2 billion monthly users, WhatsApp keeps the crown of the most popular instant messaging tool in the Western hemisphere. The recent introduction of end-to-end encrypted backups and the change of Google’s authentication protocol broke things temporarily for EXWA users, but now everything is back to normal. Learn how Elcomsoft Explorer for WhatsApp can download and decrypt encrypted WhatsApp communication histories from Google Drive and Apple iCloud!
More on checkm8 and USB Hubs, Upcoming iPhone 7 Support
December 14th, 2021 by Elcomsoft R&D
Installing the checkm8 exploit to perform forensically sound extractions with iOS Forensic Toolkit can be tricky, which is in part due to certain hardware peculiarities. If you watch our blog, you might have already read the article on checkm8, checkra1n and USB hubs. We have some good news: we managed to fix some of the issues with or without the use of a USB hub.
Worthless Security Practices
December 1st, 2021 by Oleg Afonin
Many security practices still widely accepted today are things of the past. Many of them made sense at the time of short passwords and unrestricted access to workplaces, while some were learned from TV shows with “Russian hackers” breaking Pentagon. In this article we’ll sort it out.
Real-Time Surveillance via Apple iCloud
November 19th, 2021 by Oleg Afonin
Is surveillance a good or a bad thing? The answer depends on whom you ask. From the point of view of the law enforcement, the strictly regulated ability to use real-time surveillance is an essential part of many investigations. In this article we’ll cover a very unorthodox aspect of real-time surveillance: iCloud.
Forensically Sound Extraction for iPhone 5s, 6, 6s and SE
November 17th, 2021 by Oleg Afonin
Half a year ago, we started a closed beta-testing of a revolutionary new build of iOS Forensic Toolkit. Using the checkm8 exploit, the first beta delivered forensically sound file system extraction for a large number of Apple devices. Today, we are rolling out the new, significantly improved second beta of the tool that delivers repeatable, forensically sound extractions based on the checkm8 exploit.
How to Use iOS Forensic Toolkit 8.0 b2 to Perform Forensically Sound Extraction of iPhone 5s, 6, 6s and SE
November 17th, 2021 by Elcomsoft R&D
The second beta of iOS Forensic Toolkit 8.0 has arrived, offering repeatable, verifiable extraction for a limited range of iOS devices. The new release introduces a brand-new user interface, which differs significantly from the selection-driven console we’ve been using for the past several years. This article describes the new workflow for performing forensically sound extractions with iOS Forensic Toolkit 8.0 beta2.
checkm8, checkra1n and USB hubs
November 16th, 2021 by Elcomsoft R&D
If you ever used the checkra1n jailbreak or the checkm8 acquisition method available in some mobile forensic products like iOS Forensic Toolkit, you know that the trickiest parts of the process are the first two: entering DFU, and using the exploit itself. Even if you have the right cables and enough experience, sometimes you may still bump into a weird issue or two. The device may not enter DFU whatever you do, or the exploit fails. How can you increase your success rate?
iPhone Acquisition Methods Compared
November 15th, 2021 by Vladimir Katalov
Our mobile acquisition tools, Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit and Elcomsoft Phone Breaker, support a number of different extraction options. While many of our readers know the differences between logical and physical acquisition in general better than most, there are some things in our software making the logical/physical dilemma somewhat different. In this article, we laid out the differences between the extraction methods as implemented in our tools.
Apple Watch Forensics: More on Adapters
November 5th, 2021 by Vladimir Katalov
If you are doing Apple Watch forensics, I’ve got some bad news for you. The latest model of Apple Watch, the Series 7, does not have a hidden diagnostics port anymore, which was replaced with a wireless 60.5GHz module (and the corresponding dock, which is nowhere to be found). What does that mean for the mobile forensics, and does it make the extraction more difficult? Let’s shed some light on it.
