Elcomsoft

iOS Recovery Mode Analysis: Reading iOS Version from Locked and Disabled iPhones

The iPhone recovery mode has limited use for mobile forensics. However, even the limited amount of information available through recovery mode can be essential for an investigation. Recovery access can be also the only available analysis method if the device becomes unusable, is locked or disabled after ten unsuccessful unlocking attempts, or had entered the USB restricted mode. Learn how to enter and leave Recovery and what information you can obtain in this mode.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/02/ios-recovery-mode-analysis-reading-ios-version-from-locked-and-disabled-iphones/

#ios #iphone #mobileforensics #dfir

Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit 6.71: extended Recovery mode support and plenty of bugfixes

Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit 6.71 extracts additional information from locked and disabled iOS devices through Recovery mode, and fixes several bugs identified in the previous versions.

👉 https://www.elcomsoft.com/news/779.html

#ios #iphone #mobileforensics #dfir

Breaking Jetico BestCrypt

BestCrypt, developed by the Finnish company Jetico, is a cross-platform commercial disk encryption tool. Available for Windows, Linux, macOS and Android platforms, BestCrypt is delivered in two editions, one offering full-disk encryption and the other encrypting virtual disk volumes stored in containers, the latter being supported with our tools.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/02/breaking-jetico-bestcrypt/

#jetico #bestcrypt #encryption #cybersecurity

Passcode Unlock and Physical Acquisition of iPhone 4, 5 and 5c

Passcode unlock and true physical acquisition are now available for iPhone 4, 5, and 5c devices – with caveats. Learn about the benefits and limitations of passcode unlocks and true physical imaging of Apple’s legacy devices. Looking for a step by step walkthrough? Check out our imaging guide!

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/02/passcode-unlock-and-physical-acquisition-of-iphone-4-5-and-5c/

#ios #iphone4 #iphone5 #mobileforensics #dfir #passcode #unlock

iPhone 4, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c Physical Acquisition Walkthrough

True physical acquisition is back – but only for a handful of old devices. We’re adding support for unlocking and forensically sound extraction of some of Apple’s legacy iPhones. For iPhone 4, 5, and 5c devices, we’re adding software-based passcode unlocking and device imaging functionality. Moreover, on some models you won’t even need to break the passcode in order to make a full disk image! In this walkthrough we’ll describe the steps required to image an iPhone 4, iPhone 5 or iPhone 5c device.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/02/iphone-4-iphone-5-and-iphone-5s-physical-acquisition-walkthrough/

#ios #iphone4 #iphone5 #dfir #mobileforensics

iOS Forensic Toolkit 6.70: Full Support for iPhone 4, 5 and 5c

Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit 6.70 adds passcode unlocking and device imaging functionality for legacy iPhone devices. The software-based unlock brute-forces 4-digit and 6-digit screen lock PINs, while device imaging returns bit-precise image of the data partition. If the iPhone is running iOS 4 through 7, the imaging works even without breaking the passcode! For newer versions of iOS you’ll have to break the passcode first, and image after. Needless to say that keychain decryption is also supported on these legacy models. All you need to get started is a Mac, a Lightning to USB cable (no Type-C please), and a copy of iOS Forensic Toolkit 6.70.

👉 https://www.elcomsoft.com/news/778.html

#ios #mobileforensics #iphone4 #iPhone5 #dfir

NAS Forensics: Synology, ASUSTOR, QNAP, TerraMaster and Thecus Encryption Compared

More than a year ago, we started researching the available encryption options in off the shelf network attached storage devices. We started with Synology devices, followed by Asustor, TerraMaster, Thecus, and finally Qnap. The manufacturers exhibit vastly different approaches to data protection, with different limitations, security implications and vulnerabilities. Today we are publishing the aggregate results of our analysis.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/02/nas-forensics-synology-asustor-qnap-terramaster-and-thecus-encryption-compared/

#asustor #nas #digitalforensics #qnap #synology #terramaster #thecus #encryption

End-to-End Encryption in Apple iCloud, Google and Microsoft Accounts

The proliferation of always connected, increasingly smart devices had led to a dramatic increase in the amount of highly sensitive information stored in manufacturers’ cloud accounts. Apple, Google, and Microsoft are the three major cloud providers who also develop their own hardware and OS ecosystems. In this report, we’ll see how these companies protect their users’ highly sensitive information compared to each other.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/01/end-to-end-encryption-in-apple-icloud-google-and-microsoft-accounts/

#e2ee #icloud #google #microsoftaccount #apple #cloudsecurity #datasecurity

Secure Instant Messengers

In today’s world of everyone wanting a slice of one’s personal information, users become more and more concerned about the privacy. The WhatsApp/Facebook integration raised an additional concern, considering that Facebook-owned Messenger requests the largest number of invasive permissions among all commonly used messengers. Data privacy and security concerns are mounting like a snowball. 2020 brought multiple data breach incidents from popular blogging resources from LiveJournal whose users’ data was breached and leaked to the darknet to financial institutions like Postbank with 12M exposed credit cards, hospitality giants as Mariott with 383 million records compromised or even Microsoft customers who also suffered from privacy-related issues.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/01/secure-instant-messengers/

#instantmessengers #telegram #signal #whatsapp #privacy

DFU Mode Cheat Sheet

The Device Firmware Upgrade mode, or simply DFU, just got a second breath. The ability to image the file system, decrypt the keychain and even do passcode unlocks on some older iPhone models has been made possible thanks to the checkm8 exploit and the checkra1n jailbreak, both of which require switching the phone into DFU. The procedure is undocumented, and the steps are different for the various devices.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/01/dfu-mode-cheat-sheet/

#dfumode #iphone #ios #mobileforensics

Apple, FBI and iPhone Backup Encryption: Everything You Wanted to Know

Shame on us, we somehow missed the whole issue about Apple dropping plan for encrypting backups after FBI complained, even mentioned in The Cybersecurity Stories We Were Jealous of in 2020 (and many reprints). In the meantime, the article is full of rumors, guesses, and unverified and technically dubious information. “Fake news”, so to say. Is there truth to the rumors, and what does Apple do and does not do when it comes to encrypting your personal information?

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/01/apple-fbi-and-iphone-backup-encryption-everything-you-wanted-to-know/

#ios #iphone #fbi #mobilesecurity #dfir #cybersecurity

Apple Scraps End-to-End Encryption of iCloud Backups

Reportedly, Apple dropped plan for encrypting backups after FBI complained. Apple’s decision will undoubtedly cause turmoil and will have a number of consequences. In this article, I want to talk about the technical reasons for encrypting or not encrypting cloud backup, and compare Apple’s approach with the data encryption strategies used by Google, who have been encrypting Android backups for several years.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/01/apple-scraps-end-to-end-encryption-of-icloud-backups/

#dfir #cybersecurity #mobileforensics #e2ee #icloud

Understanding BitLocker TPM Protection

Investigating a BitLocker-encrypted hard drive can be challenging, especially if the encryption keys are protected by the computer’s hardware protection, the TPM. In this article, we’ll talk about the protection that TPM chips provide to BitLocker volumes, and discuss vulnerabilities found in today’s TPM modules.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/01/understanding-bitlocker-tpm-protection/

#tpm #encryption #datasecurity #bitlocker

2020 in Review: What Was New in Desktop and Mobile Forensics

This year is different from many before. The Corona pandemic, the lack of travel and canceled events had changed the business landscape for many forensic companies. Yet, even this year, we made a number of achievements we’d love to share.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2020/12/2020-in-review-what-was-new-in-desktop-and-mobile-forensics/

#digitalforensics #mobilesecurtiy #dfir #iosacquisition #cybersecurity

NAS Forensics: QNAP Encryption Analysis

A year ago, we analyzed the encryption used in Synology NAS devices. We were somewhat disappointed by the company’s choice to rely on a single encryption layer with multiple functional restrictions and security reservations. Today we are publishing the results of our analysis of data encryption used in QNAP devices. Spoiler: it’s very, very different.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2020/12/nas-forensics-qnap-encryption-analysis/

#nas #encryption #datasecurity #dataprotection #sedencryption

iPhone Backups: Top 5 Default Passwords

The iPhone backup is one of the hottest topics in iOS forensics. iTunes-style backups are the core of logical acquisition used by forensic specialists, containing overwhelming amounts of evidence that is is unrivaled on other platforms. The backups, as simple as they seem, have many “ifs” and “buts”, especially when it comes to password protection. We wrote a thousand and one articles about iOS backup passwords, but there is always something fresh that comes out. Today we have some new tips for you.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2020/12/iphone-backups-top-5-default-passwords/

#iphone #ios #passwords #dfir #mobilesecurity #cybersecurity

New Privacy Features: iOS 14.0 through 14.3

Apple has long provided its users the tools to control how apps and Web sites use their personal data. The release of iOS 14 brought a number of new privacy features, while iOS 14.3 adds an important extra. At the same time, one of the most interesting privacy features is facing tough opposition from a group of digital advertising associations, making Apple postpone its implementation.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2020/12/new-privacy-features-ios-14-0-through-14-3/

#iphone #ios14 #mobilesecurity #dfir #privacy

Breaking Passwords with NVIDIA RTX 3080 and 3090

Today we have an important date. Advanced Office Password Recovery turned 16. What started as an instant recovery tool for legacy versions of Microsoft Word had now become a GPU-accelerated toolkit for breaking the many Microsoft formats. Today we’re releasing a major update, giving Advanced Office Password Recovery and Distributed Password Recovery tools the ability to crunch passwords faster with the newest and latest NVIDIA 3000-series graphic boards. Powered by Ampere, the new generation of GPUs delivers unprecedented performance in modern video games. How do the new cards fare when it comes to accelerating the password recovery, and is an upgrade worth it for the forensic experts? Let’s find out.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2020/12/breaking-passwords-with-nvidia-rtx-3080-and-3090/

#gpu #nvidia #rtx3090 #passwordcracking #bruteforce #videocards

Elcomsoft breaks BestCrypt containers, supports NVIDIA Ampere cards

We updated Elcomsoft Forensic Disk Decryptor, Advanced Office Password Recovery and Elcomsoft Distributed Password Recovery with support for additional data formats and GPU accelerators. The updated tools break Jetico BestCrypt 9 containers, accelerate ZIP and RAR recovery on AMD and Intel GPUs, and add support for NVIDIA’s latest RTX 3000-series boards based on the Ampere architecture.

📝 Release Notes (PDF)

👉 https://www.elcomsoft.com/news/775.html

#gpu #passwords #passwordrecovery #zip #rar #archives #nvidia #myoffice #bestcrypt

Recovering Screen Time Passwords

The Screen Time password has been long recommended as an extra security layer. By setting a Screen Time password without any additional restrictions, Apple users could easily dodge attempts of changing or removing the screen lock passcode, resetting the iTunes backup password, or removing the activation lock. For a long time, removing the Screen Time password was not possible without either providing the original password or erasing the device. However, Apple had changed the way it works, making it possible to reset the Screen Time password with an iCloud/Apple ID password.

👉 https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2020/12/recovering-screen-time-passwords/

#dfir #passwords #mobileforensics #ios #iphone