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.
Clearing Confusion About our Password Recovery Tools
May 27th, 2020 by Oleg Afonin
There is a bit of confusion about our software designed to allow breaking into password-protected systems, files, documents, and encrypted containers. We have as many as three products (and five different tools) dealing with the matter: Elcomsoft Forensic Disk Decryptor (with an unnamed memory dumping tool), Elcomsoft System Recovery and Elcomsoft Distributed Password Recovery, which also includes Elcomsoft Hash Extractor as part of the package. Let’s briefly go through all of them. Hopefully it will help you select the right product for your needs and save time in your investigation.
Full File System Extraction for iOS 13.3.1, 13.4 and 13.4.1
May 26th, 2020 by Vladimir Katalov
Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit 6.0 is out, adding direct, forensically sound extraction for Apple devices running some of the latest versions of iOS including iOS 13.3.1, 13.4 and 13.4.1. Supported devices include the entire iPhone 6s, 7, 8, X, Xr/Xs, 11, and 11 Pro (including Plus and Max versions) range, the iPhone SE, and corresponding iPad models. Let’s review the changes and talk about the new acquisition method in general.
iOS Jailbreaks, SSH, and root Password
May 26th, 2020 by Ivan Ponurovskiy
Users of iOS Forensic Toolkit who are using jailbreak-based acquisition sometimes have issues connecting to the device. More often than not, the issues are related to SSH. The SSH server may be missing or not installed with a jailbreak (which is particularly common for iOS 9 and 10 devices). A less common issue is a non-default root password. Learn how to identify these issues and how to deal with them.
Unlocking BitLocker: Can You Break That Password?
May 21st, 2020 by Oleg Afonin
BitLocker is one of the most advanced and most commonly used volume encryption solutions. BitLocker is well-studied and extensively documented solution with few known vulnerabilities and a limited number of possible vectors of attack. BitLocker volumes may be protected with one or more protectors such as the hardware-bound TPM, user-selectable password, USB key, or combination thereof. Attacking the password is only possible in one of these cases, while other protectors require a very different set of attacks. Learn how to approach BitLocker volumes depending on the type of protector.
Tighter Control over Personal Information with Attacks on Encryption Metadata
May 21st, 2020 by Oleg Afonin
When attacking a password, the traditional forensic workflow requires uploading the entire encrypted file or document into a password recovery tool. This approach, while simple and intuitive, has one major drawback if you are using remote computers or cloud instances to perform an attack. If the remote computer is compromised, the entire file or document is leaked complete with its (still encrypted) contents. Learn how to overcome this issue and perform remote attacks without the reason of leaking personal information.
Apple vs. Law Enforcement: poker face?
May 14th, 2020 by Vladimir Katalov
“We shouldn’t ask our customers to make a tradeoff between privacy and security. We need to offer them the best of both. Ultimately, protecting someone else’s data protects all of us.” Guess who said that? The answer is at the end of the article. In the meantime, we keep talking of iPhone and iOS security, following up the Apple vs. Law Enforcement – iOS 4 through 13.5 article. This time we are about to discuss some other aspects of iOS security.
Apple vs. Law Enforcement – iOS 4 through 13.5
May 14th, 2020 by Oleg Afonin
Today’s smartphones are a forensic goldmine. Your smartphone learns and knows about your daily life more than everything and everyone else. It tracks your location and counts your footsteps, AI’s your pictures and takes care of your payments. With that much data concentrated in a single device, it is reasonable to expect the highest level of protection. In this article, we’ll review the timeline of Apple’s measures to protect their users’ data and the countermeasures used by the law enforcement. This time no cloud, just pure device forensics.
Working Around the iPhone USB Restricted Mode
May 12th, 2020 by Vladimir Katalov
The USB restricted mode was introduced in iOS 11.4.1, improved in iOS 12 and further strengthened in iOS 13. The USB restrictions are a real headache for iPhone investigators. We’ve discovered a simple yet effective trick to fool it in some cases, but currently it securely protects the iPhones from passcode cracking and BFU (Before First Unlock) extractions. However, there is a trick allowing you to obtain some information from devices with disabled USB interface. Learn how to use this trick with the recently updated iOS Forensic Toolkit.
iOS Acquisition Reloaded
May 12th, 2020 by Vladimir Katalov
The new build of iOS Forensic Toolkit is out. This time around, most of the changes are “internal” and do not add much functionality, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes. In this article, we will describe in details what is new and important, and how it’s going to affect you. We’ll share some tips on how to use the software in the most effective way, making sure that you extract all the data from iOS devices in the most forensically sound possible.
Google Account Access Without a Password
May 7th, 2020 by Oleg Afonin
Cloud acquisition is one of the most common ways to obtain valuable evidence. When it comes to Google, the Google Account analysis may return significantly more data compared to the extraction of a physical Android device. However, there is one feature that is often overlooked: the ability to extract data stored in the user’s Google Account without the login and password. Let’s talk about Google authentication tokens and what they bring for the mobile forensics.
