Cellebrite, a provider of mobile
forensic and mobile data transfer solutions, has released a list of
top trends in mobile forensics that will shape the next 12 months.
If the claims by the company are to be
believed that the predictions have been made based on the inputs
gotten from a number of experts within law enforcement, and industry
analysts, familiar with mobile forensics and the most advanced mobile
forensic products available today. Collected together, the following
trends are said to the most critical for investigative and legal
professionals to prepare for the year ahead:
Smarter phones mean tougher
encryption. “Expect to see more
encryption of data on smartphones to protect personal privacy and
corporate data, which will make forensic examination more
challenging,” said Eoghan Casey, founding partner at CASEITE. In
2013, look for mobile forensics tools to continue to find ways to
bypass a greater number of passwords and device locks, as well as
address advanced encryption technology.
Investigators can’t put all
their eggs into one mobile operating system. Though
Android took 75 per cent of the market in Q3 of 2012, for mobile
forensics professionals, market share isn’t everything. As Paul
Henry, security and forensics analyst, vNet Security, noted: “While
Android is the predominant operating system, the bulk of the
bandwidth is still taking place on Apple devices, making them
critical to many investigations.” Despite BlackBerry’s decline in
recent years, Carney said: “Their popularity for over a decade will
make them an important legacy device pertinent to investigations for
years to come.”
Windows 8 is the wildcard.
Notwithstanding all the attention
garnered by Android and Apple, the real wildcard for the next 12
months will be the rise of Microsoft in the mobile device market.
While questions remain regarding how prevalent Microsoft devices will
become, Cellebrite’s panel of experts predicts that the need for
mobile forensic tools providing support for Windows 8 will increase.
Mobile devices advance as
witnesses. Look for mobile devices and
the data they contain to take centre stage in both civil and criminal
investigations in the year ahead. According to Heather Mahalik,
mobile forensics technical lead at Basis
Technology: “Now, more than ever before, e-discovery experts
need comprehensive training in order to ensure the proper extraction
of all relevant data from mobile devices.”
The regulatory and legislative
landscape remains uncertain. “Lawmakers
and judges are looking at cell phones much more critically than they
did computers,” said Gary Kessler, associate professor,
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
and a member of the ICAC North
Florida Task Force. “However, because few understand the nature
of the technology, they are erring greatly on the side of caution.
This speaks to the need for greater education regarding the scope and
possibilities of mobile forensics and what it means for privacy and
pre-trial discovery.”
Mobile malware’s incidence
will rise. In the near future, look for
malware on smartphone platforms and tablets to increase
exponentially, particularly on Android devices. According to Cindy
Murphy, detective, computer crimes/computer forensics, Madison
Wisconsin Police Department: “For law enforcement and forensics
professionals, mobile malware means dealing with potentially
compromised devices that may help perpetrators cover their tracks,
making it increasingly difficult for investigators to meet the
threshold of reasonable doubt.”
Data breaches via mobile will
rise. “Mobile forensics vendors
should resolve to provide stronger capabilities for enterprise wide
smartphone investigations to support the investigation of data
breaches targeting smartphones and the needs of e-discovery,” said
Casey.
“From the increasing use of
mobile evidence to challenges stemming from the rise in tougher
encryption methods, there are a number of areas that will demand the
attention of mobile forensics professionals in the year ahead,”
said Dave Golding, General Manager of
Cellebrite APAC PTE Ltd. “As the industry
continues to evolve, it will be critical for the law enforcement
community, as well as the enterprise, to invest in proper training
and ensure that their budgets allow them to meet the growing demand
for comprehensive device analysis and data extraction.”
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