Mobile-device-forensics

When it comes to accessing digital data across devices, mobile phones are easily the most common devices that law enforcement, businesses, and military personnel will deal with. In the past, accessing critical files (e.g., law enforcement cases, business intelligence, etc.) involved physically unlocking and searching through devices. The problem, of course, is that accessing smartphones by physically entering the device can lead to data loss, file access issues, and an incomplete view of the device's digital archive.

Grayshift has announced that ADF Solutions is a Certified member of Grayshift's Technology Alliances Program, a digital forensics ecosystem that facilitates open, multi-vendor integration and certifications to improve the effectiveness of digital investigations tools. The program ensures that partner tools: 

• Fully and accurately parse GrayKey extractions
• Improve cross-product workflows
• Explore integrations aimed at accelerating investigations

The partnership between ADF Solutions and GrayShift is designed to give law enforcement agencies confidence that they can expect accuracy in ingesting and displaying data from GrayKey extractions to speed investigations. 

When conducting an investigation involving multimedia, the quantities of files can be quite overwhelming especially when they include Child Exploitation Material (CEM) and Child Sexual Assault Material (CSAM). It is not just the CEM or CSAM that is included in the collection or search, typically there are tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of files including images and videos, that have to be sorted through. Not only can the number of files be daunting, but the reasons for conducting the intense file filtering also have multiple purposes.

Even though Digital Forensics has expanded its capabilities and use-cases since its inception, it is constantly evolving and you need to be prepared for the changes coming. New features on computers and smartphones are causing existing digital forensics features to be outdated and unreliable when investigating. New crimes are being committed and the tools in existence are not capable of collecting and processing that sort of evidence yet. But not to worry, there are many companies out there researching tools to handle investigations in critical areas of development. Here are 5 key areas you want to make sure your team has the most up-to-date technology and the most experienced training.

Getting the "big picture" of a case is challenging when digital forensic data is spread across different disparate evidence types or a large of media sources. Experts from several leading forensic companies shared best practices for collecting, analyzing, and reporting on evidence from multiple mobile phones, a drone, and several vehicles used in a fictional homicide investigation related to suspected fentanyl trafficking. The speakers were:

With any of the ADF Mobile products, if you are using the default settings, the mobile backups are being saved to the local drive. The mobile backups can be quite large and quickly fill up your drive leaving you no storage space.

Let’s take a look at how to archive your mobile backups with or without the corresponding scan results.

With an ever-increasing number of adults owning a smartphone, it is no wonder that more and more crimes now commonly require mobile device evidence collection and analysis. The need for digital forensics tools is increasing around the world. The ultimate field forensics for the front line solution for police, sheriffs, school resource officers, field agents, and investigators. Connect a suspect device via a USB port to quickly collect evidence and perform an advanced logical acquisition (multi-protocol data transfer).

In this 3-minute "How To" video, you'll learn the benefits of having a digital forensic triage process that works from field to lab. Using ADF digital forensic tools, examiners can prepare field investigators to find digital evidence and intelligence on mobile phones, tablets, computers, and storage devices starting on-scene. 

Smartphone Triage is becoming more and more important with the exponential increase in the number of devices and explosion of digital data. Mobile device forensic examiners can use smartphone triage as a first step in early case assessment of incoming devices. 

Crimes against children investigations can lead CSAM investigators to have to review thousands or even tens of thousands of images. Investigators need tools to help them find relevant evidence quickly. 

Do you need to acquire digital evidence from an iPhone, Android or tablet device quickly? 

ADF Solutions mobile phone forensic software makes it easier to quickly collect digital evidence from smartphones and tablets with the Digital Forensic screenshot feature in Mobile Device Investigator or ADF PRO tools. 

As an investigator you want to be prepared to quickly collect evidence on-scene. This means, when performing smartphone forensics, you need to have the best tools to capture the evidence you encounter during your triage, including cloud storage such as Dropbox for iOS. 

At ADF, we are mission driven. We are delighted to serve those who serve and some of our most exciting times are when we are adding new features and capabilities, when we learn how they are being used, and of course, on launch days. We hope you'll love what we've created.

Speeding your investigations has always been a primary focus for ADF Solutions and with the launch of ADF Mobile Preview capabilities, you can start looking at phone content immediately without waiting for a backup or imaging to finish. 

Are you ready for a big one? Anticipating what your evidence collection needs will be while you are on-scene includes trying to ascertain how many electronic devices you will encounter. ADF makes it easy for you to be prepared. 

Anyone who is charged with a "knock and talk" or executing a search warrant knows that the ability to overcome and adapt on-scene is vital to a successful outcome. This is what drove ADF to empower investigators to be able to create a digital evidence Collection Key (CKY). 

Two of the biggest factors law enforcement officers face today are how they handle a dangerous situation and how quickly they can that situation. When lives are on the line, one of the major obstacles in resolving that situation is a lack of information.

Kik, also known as Kik Messenger, runs on Android, iOs and Windows operating systems and is a free app used by more than 200 million people worldwide to send and receive messages that can include photos and videos as well as other content. Kik is popular with children as young as 13 as well as young adults. Because of its popularity with children, the Kik app has become a magnet for child exploitation. 

In this short digital forensic How To video, Digital Forensic Specialist, Rich Frawley, walks you through the best settings for Mobile Device Investigator^®.  Learn how to choose the best Search Profile Capture selection and how to decipher which captures will get you the information you need for your investigation with our mobile phone forensic software. 

Why take Digital Forensic Screenshots?

Taking a screenshot of a connected iOS or Android mobile device consists in making a copy of what is displayed on the device screen. This method makes it possible to collect digital evidence that would otherwise not be available in a advanced logical acquisition because the data is protected.

The ADF digital forensic screenshots feature enables frontline investigators to capture screenshots from any connected iOS or Android mobile device. This feature is useful for investigators who need to capture data that may not be included in a backup or to capture how a particular mobile app or screen appears to the user.

ADF Solutions Introduces Field Investigator™ for Teams

There’s a new way to give digital forensic examiners control of investigations and empower non-technical front-line investigators. Meet Field Investigator™ for Teams, the best way to deploy digital forensic triage capabilities to agents for on-scene digital evidence collection and analysis.

The numbers surrounding pornographic images of children, and the child abuse that creates it, are so staggering that it’s difficult not to be disheartened. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), their cyber tipline received over 42.9 million reports by November 2018. NCMEC had also reviewed over 267 million images and videos, and identified over 15,800 victims of online child exploitation and abuse.

As communities search for new ways to employ wounded, injured, or ill special operations veterans, there's a new federal government program that offers hope. 

The program which provides financial support for communities seeking to further increase their effectiveness in the fight against child exploitation is run by the U.S. Department of Justice. Communities will benefit in two key ways: 

1. Employ wounded veterans paid for via federal grant money
2. Help communities fight the ever growing battle to stop child exploitation

ADF Solutions Releases New Digital Forensic Software to Power Field Investigations

Triage digital evidence with a single license for smartphones, tablets, and computers

ADF Solutions, the leading provider of automated forensic software for investigators and lab examiners, today announced new software versions for Digital Evidence Investigator^Ⓡ, Triage-Investigator^Ⓡ,  Triage-G2^Ⓡ, and Mobile Device Investigator^Ⓡ software.

ADF Solutions is proud to announce that we have joined forces with Carahsoft, the leading government IT Solutions provider as an authorized reseller of our products.

We could have just written a mission statement. Maybe we’d throw in some core values, and hit you with some motivational quotes from great thought leaders. We could have done that, but that’s not the ADF way. ADF is an innovator, so we took those ideas and went further. Meet our Culture Code: a living, breathing set of standards, principles, values, and goals that we put our hearts and souls into as a team, because we are #AllinForensics. 

Triage- the word is normally associated with hospitals, where doctors and nurses prioritize patients’ treatments based on the severity of their condition. The concept has been around since the Napoleonic wars and is responsible for saving innumerable lives ever since.

Mobile Device Investigator (MDI) is the leading digital forensic triage tool for iOS and Android devices. In this short "How To" video, ADF's digital forensic specialist and trainer, Rich Frawley, will show you how to create a Search Profile with MDI. 

October 2019 kicks off with the 5th Annual Northwest Regional ICAC Conference, a multi-state, multi-disciplinary event designed to provide lecture and lab training to prosecutors, digital forensic lab examiners, and law enforcement investigators focused on the investigation and prosecution of technology and Internet facilitated crimes against children. 

Investigate on-scene with a single license for smartphones, tablets, and computers 

Learn how to create a forensic backup of an Android smartphone or tablet with Mobile Device Investigator™ in this short How To video from ADF's Digital Forensic Specialist, Rich Frawley.

Learn how to create a forensic backup of an iOS smartphone or tablet with Mobile Device Investigator™ in this short How To video from ADF's Digital Forensic Specialist, Rich Frawley.

Most children in the United States now have access to internet services. The internet enables children to have access to vast amounts of valuable and educative information that facilitates their growth. However, the internet further exposes children to numerous dangers. Some of the risks children are exposed to on the internet include pornography, racist, sexist, violent, and demeaning information.

These risks prompted the formation of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force program. The organization is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces that represent over 4,500 local, state, and federal law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. The state and regional ICAC task forces are maintained and expanded by the ICAC program to address technology-facilitated child exploitation crimes.

As you get started performing an advanced logical forensic acquisition of an Android device with Mobile Device Investigator^®, you will want to learn how to attach an Android device to your forensic computer. This short video will show you how you can quickly and easily collect digital evidence from Android mobile phones and tablets. 

Mobile Device Investigator® is a stand-alone digital forensic software tool for advanced logical iOS and Android mobile device investigations. With Mobile Device Investigator® also called MDI, front-line investigators can: