When it comes to iOS data acquisition, Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit is the top choice for forensic experts. Its cutting-edge features and unmatched capabilities have made it the go-to software for investigating iOS devices. In a recent update, we expanded the capabilities of the low-level extraction agent to support full file system extraction and keychain decryption on Apple’s newest devices running iOS 16.5. This achievement represents a breakthrough, as the delay between Apple’s iOS updates and our forensic software release has significantly reduced.

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital investigations, mobile forensics has become a critical aspect of law enforcement work. The challenges of extracting, handling, and analyzing data obtained from various sources have led to a growing demand for universal solutions. We’d like to emphasize the importance of every stage of mobile forensics, the significance of extraction, and the critical importance of expertise in this field.

For forensic experts dealing with mobile devices, having a reliable and efficient forensic solution is crucial. Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit is an all-in-one software that aids in extracting data from iOS devices, yet it is still far away from being a one-button solution that many experts keep dreaming of. In this article, we will walk you through the preparation and installation steps, list additional hardware environments, and provide instructions on how to use the toolkit safely and effectively.

When it comes to iOS data acquisition, Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit stands head and shoulders above the competition. With its cutting-edge features and unmatched capabilities, the Toolkit has become the go-to software for forensic investigations on iOS devices. The recent update expanded the capabilities of the tool’s low-level extraction agent, adding keychain decryption support on Apple’s newest devices running iOS 16.0 through 16.4.

A while ago, we introduced an innovative mechanism that enabled access to parts of the file system for latest-generation Apple devices. The process we called “partial extraction” relied on a weak exploit that, at the time, did not allow a full sandbox escape. We’ve been working to improve the process, slowly lifting the “partial” tag from iOS 15 devices. Today, we are introducing a new, enhanced low-level extraction mechanism that enables full file system extraction for the iOS 16 through 16.3.1 on all devices based on Apple A12 Bionic and newer chips.

We are excited to announce the release of an open-source software for Raspberry Pi 4 designed to provide firewall functionality for sideloading, signing, and verifying the extraction agent that delivers robust file system imaging and keychain decryption on a wide range of Apple devices. This development aims to address the growing security challenge faced by forensic experts when sideloading the extraction agent using regular and developer Apple accounts.

Year after year, the field of digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) presents us with new challenges. Various vendors from around the world are tirelessly striving to simplify and enhance the work of experts in this field, but there are some things you probably do not know about (or simply never paid attention to) that we discussed in the first part of these series. Today we’ll discuss some real cases to shed light onto some vendors’ shady practices.

As a provider of mobile forensic tools, we at Elcomsoft strongly believe in giving back to the community. Our iOS Forensic Toolkit (EIFT) is a highly complex and powerful mobile acquisition tool, consisting of almost eighty sub-projects, many of which are open source. While we have benefited from the contributions of the community, we also believe that it’s time to contribute back to the open source community by publishing our changes to those projects as required by their permissive license.

Last month, we introduced a new low-level mechanism, which enabled access to parts of the file system from many Apple devices. The partial extraction process relies on a weak exploit that did not allow full sandbox escape. Today, the limitations are gone, and we are proud to offer the full file system extraction and keychain decryption for the entire iOS 15 range up to and including iOS/iPadOS 15.7.2.

In recent years, Apple had switched from 4-digit PINs to 6 digits, while implementing blacklists of insecure PIN codes. How do these measures affect security, how much more security do six-digit PINs deliver compared to four-digit PINs, and do blacklists actually work? Let’s try to find out.