When the Answers You Need are Tied to the Mobile World, Who Can Help?

Most digital forensic investigators are experts at data recovery from smartphones, mobile phones, tablets and other personal digital devices. Deleted emails, text messages, pictures, GPS and location data can all be forensically obtained for use as evidence. iPhones and iPads, Android phones and tablets, and Windows devices like the Surface, are all fair game for our forensic examiners.

The mobile phones of the future are expected to be even more closely embedded in our day-to-day lives than ever before. Predictions about the direction of smartphones from futurists and industry experts range from having moderate involvement to literally running our lives.

One thing’s for certain: the technology involved in mobile phones and mobile networks has developed rapidly over the last few years. In the current trajectory the future is going to be an exciting ride.

What will the smartphone look like in 10 years? The most likely answer, I’m afraid, is one of two options: it’s either completely unknowable or disappointingly predictable.

The story of the smartphone thus far began with technological breakthroughs paired with ingenuity (Camera + Data = social media) but eventually evolved into a yearly cadence of iterative improvements (better camera). The digital forensic investigator will be faced with new challenges of extraction of evidence if not equipped with proper forensic tools.

Even with iterative updates, smartphones will be radically better than they are today, and they’ll be different in some ways, too. The screens will be brighter and fold in different ways, the cameras will be so advanced that they’ll threaten to obviate even higher-end SLRs, and the digital assistants inside them will be smarter.

Whatever happens, the iterative path for smartphones will inevitably mean each phone launch will be less exciting than the last — a trend we’re already familiar with today. But that doesn’t mean that phones will become less important or impactful. Instead, they’ll become more familiar and (forgive another pun) part of the fabric of our culture. They will follow yearly trends that will be a lot more about style than function.

Following the trends will include advanced digital forensic tools, allowing you to access some of the most challenging and secure devices, as well as perform unlimited unlocks and extractions using state-of-the-art unique exploits from cell phone forensic providers like MSAB.

Because of the increasing levels of security and encryption in many of the latest mobile devices, law enforcement and other organisations require new techniques to access mobile data. They often encounter some devices that cannot be extracted using standard cables and methods. Here’s where product like XRY Pro come in. With this software suite of high-level exploits, you get premium level phone access capabilities to ensure you can access some of the most difficult-to-breach devices.

XRY Pro is the perfect solution for experienced users who want to perform unlimited unlocks and extractions using their own equipment. Specialised on-demand training to understand the exploits and unlock their full potential is highly recommended. XRY Pro would also be the likely product used in the future with an AI enhanced engine.

The typical digital forensic tools would more than likely have advanced software with the latest exploits and FDE, FBE and Secure Startup support. Ram Brute Forcing Exploit of phones.

Because of increasing levels of security and encryption in many of the latest mobile devices and future phone enhancement, law enforcement and other organisations will require new techniques to access mobile data. They often encounter some devices that cannot be extracted using standard procedures and methods. Here’s where a product like XRY Pro comes in.

With this software suite of high-level exploits, you get premium level phone access capabilities to ensure you can access even some of the most difficult-to-breach devices. Digital forensic software developers need to keep up with new advancements. Investigators need digital forensic tools to keep up with current and future technology. Forensic investigators face the challenge of evolving threats and increasing data volumes. The skills of the investigator would need to radically adapt to the advancement of new cell phone technology.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (ML) are revolutionising the field of digital forensics. These technologies enable software to process vast amounts of data, detect patterns, and predict potential threats with greater accuracy and speed. AI-powered tools can perform automated data categorization, anomaly detection, and even recognize previously unknown digital artefacts.

AI can find keywords, patterns, and sentiment in large amounts of text data, like chat logs or emails. AI and ML techniques do various tasks in digital forensics, like analysing images, audio, text, and user behaviour. By reducing manual labour and expediting investigations, AI and ML are becoming essential components of the digital forensic toolkit.

The future of digital forensic software looks bright with advancements in AI, ML, automation, and cybersecurity measures. These innovations will empower investigators to handle the challenges of modern-day cybercrime effectively. Forensic investigators can stay prepared by staying updated with new technologies and utilising advanced tools. This will enable them to protect digital assets, find evidence, and apprehend cybercriminals. As technology continues to evolve, digital forensics will remain at the forefront of the fight against cybercrimes and adoption to new cell phone technology advancement.

To make sure you don't struggle in the future with this when on-scene or in a lab, make sure you choose the proper forensic tools that are certified to pull evidence from devices that you come across most often. That’s why it is important to build a digital forensic toolkit. Also, make sure you choose a software provider that regularly releases new versions of their software, so you are always using the latest tools that are evolving with the market.