The Evolution of iOS Passcode Security
January 31st, 2025 by Oleg Afonin
Over the years, Apple has continuously refined its security mechanisms to deter unauthorized access to their devices. One of the most significant aspects of this evolution is the increasingly sophisticated passcode protection system in iOS devices. This article explores how the delay between failed passcode attempts has evolved over time, highlighting changes that have made iOS screen lock protection more secure.
EU: Apple to Allow Alternative App Marketplaces
February 6th, 2024 by Vladimir Katalov
In the upcoming iOS 17.4 update, Apple is introducing significant changes to its App Store policies for apps distributed in the European Union. The new policy brings multiple changes, one of them being alternative app marketplaces (which are effectively third-party app stores). These changes have both technical and financial implications for developers, but do they bring news to the digital forensic crowd? Let’s have a look into what Apple’s new policy brings and how it may impact forensic experts.
Navigating NVIDIA’s Super 40-Series GPU Update: A Guide for IT Professionals
February 2nd, 2024 by Oleg Afonin
With the launch of the Super update of 40-Series NVIDIA GPUs, the company’s product lineup has become quite complex. In the 4070 series alone, four models of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX are available: the original 4070, 4070 Ti, and now also 4070 Super, and 4070 Ti Super. Understanding the differences between these cards and learning which models offer the best price/performance ratio in password recovery jobs are crucial considerations for IT professionals.
iOS Forensic Toolkit: Mounting HFS Images in Windows
February 1st, 2024 by Oleg Afonin
The latest update to iOS Forensic Toolkit brought the ability to mount HFS disk images extracted from legacy Apple devices as drive letters on Windows systems. This new capability to mount HFS images on Windows empowers experts to efficiently process and analyze digital evidence extracted from legacy Apple devices on Windows-based computers. This article provides detailed instructions on using the new feature.
Changes to U.S. iOS App Store Policies Allow External Purchase Links
January 17th, 2024 by Vladimir Katalov
In a controversial move, Apple is implementing major changes to its U.S. iOS App Store policies, granting developers the ability to direct customers to non-App Store purchasing options for digital goods. This update permits users to make in-app purchases through an alternative method. However, Apple will continue to collect a commission ranging from 12 to 27 percent on content purchased through this avenue, providing only a 3 percentage points commission cut compared to purchases made through the official Apple App Store.
When Extraction Meets Analysis: Cellebrite Physical Analyzer
January 12th, 2024 by Oleg Afonin
When equipping a forensic lab, having a diverse set of tools is extremely important due to their diverse, rarely overlapping capabilities, and the need for cross-checking the results. With that many tools, compatibility is crucial. This is why we went a long way to ensure that any data extracted with our mobile forensic tools can be opened in many popular forensic analysis tools.
Forensically Sound Cold System Analysis
January 8th, 2024 by Oleg Afonin
In the world of digital forensics, there are various ways to analyze computer systems. You might be familiar live system analysis or investigating forensic disk images, but there’s yet another method called cold system analysis. Unlike live analysis where experts deal with active user sessions, cold system analysis works differently. It’s like a middle ground between live analysis and examining saved images of a computer’s storage. But why and when would someone use cold analysis? What can you do with it, and how does it compare to the usual methods?
A Comprehensive Guide to Essential Tools for Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit
January 3rd, 2024 by Elcomsoft R&D
Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit (EIFT) is a powerful software designed to acquire data from various Apple devices, ranging from iPhones to HomePods. However, to make the most of this tool, you’ll need more than just the software itself. In this article, we will quickly review the mandatory and optional accessories that are essential for the effective use of the product.
A Comprehensive Instruction Manual on Installing the Extraction Agent
December 27th, 2023 by Oleg Afonin
This guide covers the correct installation procedure for Elcomsoft low-level extraction agent, an integral part of iOS Forensic Toolkit that helps extracting the file system and keychain from supported iOS devices. This instruction manual provides a step-by-step guide for setting up a device and installing the extraction agent. We’ve included suggestions from troubleshooting scenarios and recommendations we derived during testing.
iOS 17.3 Developer Preview: Stolen Device Protection
December 20th, 2023 by Oleg Afonin
The first developer beta of iOS 17.3 includes Stolen Device Protection, a major new security feature designed to protect the user’s sensitive information stored in the device and in iCloud account if their iPhone is stolen and the thief gets access to the phone’s passcode. This optional feature could represent a significant change in how Apple looks at security, where currently the passcode is king. At this time, no detailed documentation is available; developers are getting a prompt to test the feature when installing the new beta.
iOS Forensic Toolkit: Exploring the Linux Edition
November 30th, 2023 by Oleg Afonin
The latest update of iOS Forensic Toolkit brought an all-new Linux edition, opening up a world of possibilities in mobile device analysis. The highly anticipated Linux edition preserves and expands the features previously available to macOS and Windows users. Forensic professionals can now perform advanced logical and low-level extractions with the aid of a custom extraction agent and extract information using the bootloader-level exploit, making forensic analysis more accessible on Linux platforms.
