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.
iOS Forensic Toolkit 8 Extraction Agent Cheat Sheet
November 22nd, 2022 by Oleg Afonin
iOS Forensic Toolkit 8 brings new powerful user experience based on the command line. While this approach offers experts full control over the extraction process, mastering the right workflow may become a challenge for those unfamiliar with command-line tools. In this quick-start guide we will lay out the steps required to extract the file system and decrypt the keychain of a compatible iPhone or iPad device.
Cloud Forensics: Obtaining iCloud Backups, Media Files and Synchronized Data
November 17th, 2022 by Oleg Afonin
Apple offers by far the most sophisticated solution for backing up, restoring, transferring and synchronizing data across devices belonging to the company’s ecosystem. Apple iCloud can store cloud backups and media files, synchronize essential information between Apple devices, and keep highly sensitive information such as Health and authentication credentials securely synchronized. In this article we’ll explain what kinds of data are stored in iCloud and what you need to access them.
Advanced Logical Extraction with iOS Forensic Toolkit 8: Cheat Sheet
November 15th, 2022 by Oleg Afonin
Advanced logical acquisition is the most compatible and least complicated way to access essential evidence stored in Apple devices. In legacy versions of iOS Forensic Toolkit, we offered a 1-2-3 style, menu-driven extraction experience, while the updated release of iOS Forensic Toolkit 8.0 is driven by the command line. In this quick-start guide we will lay out the steps required to extract the most amount of data from Apple devices via the advanced logical process.
iOS Backups: Leftover Passwords
November 10th, 2022 by Oleg Afonin
In Apple ecosystem, logical acquisition is the most convenient and the most compatible extraction method, with local backups being a major contributor. Password-protected backups contain significantly more information than unencrypted backups, which is why many forensic tools including iOS Forensic Toolkit automatically apply a temporary backup password before creating a backup. If a temporary password is not removed after the extraction, subsequent extraction attempts, especially made with a different tool, will produce encrypted backups protected with an effectively unknown password. In this article we’ll talk about why this happens and how to deal with it.
checkm8 Extraction Cheat Sheet: iPhone and iPad Devices
November 3rd, 2022 by Oleg Afonin
The newly released iOS Forensic Toolkit 8.0 delivers forensically sound checkm8 extraction powered with a command-line interface. The new user experience offers full control over the extraction process, yet mastering the right workflow may become a challenge for those unfamiliar with command-line tools. In this quick-start guide we will lay out the steps required to perform a clean, forensically sound extraction of a compatible iPhone or iPad device.
How to Put Apple TV 3 (2012-2013), Apple TV 4/HD (2015) and Apple TV 4K (2017) into DFU
October 31st, 2022 by Oleg Afonin
The title says it all. In this article we’ll explain the steps required to put the listed Apple TV models into DFU mode. These Apple TV models are based on the A5, A8, and A10X chips that are susceptible to the checkm8 exploit and checkm8-based extraction with iOS Forensic Toolkit 8, and DFU mode is the required initial step of the process.
iOS 16: SEP Hardening, New Security Measures and Their Forensic Implications
September 23rd, 2022 by Vladimir Katalov
iOS 16 brings many changes to mobile forensics. Users receive additional tools to control the sharing and protection of their personal information, while forensic experts will face tighter security measures. In this review, we’ll talk about the things in iOS 16 that are likely to affect the forensic workflow.
iOS Forensic Toolkit 8.0 Now Official: Bootloader-Level Extraction for 76 Devices
September 22nd, 2022 by Oleg Afonin
iOS Forensic Toolkit 8.0 is officially released! Delivering forensically sound checkm8 extraction and a new command-line driven user experience, the new release becomes the most sophisticated mobile forensic tool we’ve released to date.
iOS 16: Extracting the File System and Keychain from A11 Devices
September 22nd, 2022 by Vladimir Katalov
Bootloader-based acquisition is the only 100% forensically sound data extraction method for Apple devices. It is the only way to acquire the full set of data from those devices that run iOS 16, albeit with a huge caveat that makes the whole thing more of a brain exercise than a practical forensic tool. Let’s review the iOS 16 compatibility in iOS Forensic Toolkit and go through the whole process step by step.
Entering DFU: iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X
September 13th, 2022 by Oleg Afonin
DFU (Device Firmware Update) is a special service mode available in many Apple devices for recovering corrupted devices by uploading a clean copy of the firmware. Forensic specialists use DFU during checkm8 extractions (Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit). Unlike Recovery, which serves a similar purpose, DFU operates on a lower level and is undocumented. Surprisingly, there might be more than one DFU mode, one being more reliable than the others when it comes to forensic extractions. The method described in this article works for the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X.
