Social Media and Instant Message Forensics

 

 

Dear Readers,

We’re extremely proud to present you the newest issue of eForensics Magazine, which is dedicated to the very current topic of social media and instant messaging.

The use of instant messaging and social networks in the world today is like breathing or walking for people. And it has a lot to do with digital forensics!

Trey Amick from Magnet Forensic prepared an article about Social Media Cloud Investigations with AXIOM for you, Allison Sudik took a closer look at Dating Apps Forensics, and Claudia Chepkor dedicated her work to WhatsApp. We have also a publication on forensic aspects of, and uses for, evidence from WeChat. WeChat is a very popular app in the Asian community.

That’s not all, of course! Mark Weinstein introduces his privacy-oriented social network MeWe (called “anti-Facebook”) and Ummed Meel makes a forensic analysis of Bluetooth Attacks.

Stay up to date and don’t miss this dose of current knowledge!

We would also want to thank all authors, reviewers and proofreaders for participating in this project.

Have a nice read, folks!

Regards,

Dominika Zdrodowska

and the eForensics Magazine Editorial Team

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Forensic Analysis of Dating Apps

by Allison Sudik

Online dating applications have seen an enormous boom in the past several years. According to eHarmony’s website, 40% of Americans use online dating, which equates to about 40 million people. With so many people using the online platform, it is no wonder that these applications have been showing up on more and more phone examinations. While the existence of these applications is known to many forensic examiners, the possible data they store is often overlooked. Dating apps are generally not supported or decoded by popular mobile forensic tools. Therefore, we may need to dig a little deeper too see what type of data they store.

Social Media Cloud Investigations with AXIOM

by Trey Amick

It isn’t unheard of for some forensic examinations to revolve solely around social media. At the very least, in most cases, social media provides important additional evidence.

Facebook Data Forensics

by Christopher Hicks

Given all of the recent issues around Facebook and the data it keeps about all of us it seemed like a good time for a tool to help us analyze the data dump Facebook is willing to give us. The tools I have written give you an overview of what Facebook has collected about you. You can also see how many messages you have sent to each recipient and look for keywords in your message history.

Bluetooth Attacks and Forensics Analysis

by Ummed Meel

Some people with bad intentions could misuse Bluetooth technology to steal data, spamming or sending a payload to hack a mobile device. A hacker can use well known hacking practices, like malware, direct attack or authentication bypass, to hack mobile devices. After the incident, an Incident Responder should seize digital evidences very carefully. Forensics experts can get the Bluetooth device ID, file name, pairing date, file size and path from the victim's device. A Bluetooth attack can happen to mobile, Bluetooth speaker, headphone, screen and laptop, etc. This article will give the complete idea about possible Bluetooth attacks, its forensics and tracing of culprit with practical moves.

WeChat. The Forensic Aspects Of and Uses For Evidence from a Super-App

by Tyler Hatch

WeChat is one of the world’s most successful apps ever. If you’re a digital forensics examiner, the chances are that you’ve heard of it and probably even worked with it. The app is so successful that it is often referred to as a “Super-App”. This article will briefly provide some details about WeChat itself.

WhatsApp Forensics - Deleted is never really deleted

by Claudia Jematia Chepkor

Due to WhatsApp’s versatility, social networking on smartphone devices might have potential evidence that forensic investigators can recover with the right procedures, tools and examination methods. Due to the increasing number of cyber-enabled crimes around the world, digital evidence from smartphones instant messaging application is useful in different types of criminal investigation and court proceedings.

Cell Phones Forensics

Interview with Jenise Reyes Rodriguez & Rick Ayers

Journaling on the Fourth Extended File System - Part 2

by Divya Lakshmanan & Nagoor Meeran A.R.

“File system Forensics is an art of unearthing the facts, not truth. If you’re looking for truth, you should attend a philosophy class nearby.”

The Legal Value of the Chat Messages: A jurisprudencial approach in the Italian Legal System

by Eleonora Colombo

From a panoramic view of the most recent judicial cases, it is observed that, especially in criminal cases but also in civil matters, digital evidence (in the open sense) is increasingly present and often acquires a fundamental value in the formation of the final decision.

MeWe - Next-Gen Social Networking

Interview with Mark Weinstein