Why Mobile Forensics Are Important for Law Enforcement

If you are still analyzing pay telephones, then you are existing in antiquated history. As we enter the next decade of the twentieth century, a lot of people are using cell phones - as well as the individuals of interest that we investigate.

As cell phones have evolved, it does not make a great deal of sense anymore to just name the devices "phones.". In fact, the title "mini computer" would be a more suitable title for these powerful little communication smartphones. Devices like the blackberry and iphone are exceptionally powerful sources of forensic evidence.

Common conviction among most - in particular smaller - police departments is that investigating cell forensics is more scientific than they have the time or the personell to handle. But this is simply not the situation. Take a look overseas: the UK, and other nearby Eurpean nations, are far more advanced that the United States when it comes to extracting forensic data out of cell telephones. This development was not that testing; it really only took a willingness to recognize that mobile forensics are valuable for investigations. We will discuss importance of mobile forensics in this article. In another article, we discuss cell forensics extraction tools.

Though it may seem to be a trivial question if you have any experience with cell telephone forensics, no double several pd cops might want a definition for cell forensics. Here is a good definition:

The removal and analysis of information from mobile telephones seized by law enforcement.
To aquire these mobile phones from persons of interest, they are generally aquired during an arrest or when a search warrent is exercised. The way to legally acquire cell telephones for investigations is not the point of this editorial - we have to suppose that you are somewhat familiar with the essentials of criminal justice. Consult your defense attorney to make certain that you get hold of the devices corectly. Bear in mind that the method from start to finish needs to be documented for court.

Cell forensic data includes:

- Emails ( in the case of smartphones)
- Address books
- Pictures (occationallly including geo-data!)
-Text messages
-Call Detail Records (aka numbers called and numbers calling)

The importance of mobile forensics is rather clear.

They can with no trouble generate the next lead of your analysis, but they also give valuable background for your individuals of interest. Who is called most often by your suspect? Who is getting his emails? What individuals are a part of his core group of co-conspirators?

Simply receiving data off of a handset, however, is not enough. You need a way to examine the data. It is not uncommon for forensic investigators to rave about the number of files they are able to pull off a particilar telephone. However, the only point of extracting information from a phone is to generate leads and the resulting evidence with ANALYSIS.

In another article later in this series, we will hit on some mobile forensic investigation system that turns the information from the aquisition devices (like the Cellebrite, Secureview, or XRY) and actually transforms it into useful intelligence automatically.

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