Clearing iPhone RAM

You can easily clear the RAM on an iPhone by following these steps:

1. Go to Settings . . . Accessibility . . . Touch, and select the option for AssistiveTouch.

2. Then go to Settings . . . General . . . Shut Down

3. Rather than swiping 'slide to power off', press the white AssistiveTouch button, and then hold the home button for five seconds.

4. The RAM on the phone should be cleared. This will enable the phone to function faster.

Keep in mind that RAM is volatile or temporary memory. Clearing the RAM may erase some app data, as well as passwords and encryption keys. Volatile user data on an iPhone is encrypted, and cannot be easily acquired by a forensic process.

Non-volatile memory (emails, contacts, text messages and other system files) is retained even after RAM is cleared. Non-volatile memory is also called NAND flash.

JTAG, Chip Off, and ISP Extractions of Data from Mobile Phones

Three common forensic techniques are used to extract data from mobile phones.

1. A JTAG (Joint Test Action Group) involves soldering wires to JTAG ports in order to connect to a processor which can create an image from the memory card of the phone. An example of a JTAG connection is shown here, on the website of Farley Forensics.

2. ISP (In System Programming) extractions are used when no JTAG or test access points (TAPs) are available, and the examiner has to solder a connection directly to the board.

With both JTAG and ISP connections the wires are connected to outside hardware, such as the Medusa Pro or Easy JTAG box.

3. Chip Off extractions are generally performed when JTAG or ISP extractions are not possible. This approach involves physically removing the memory card from the phone. The data on the chip can then be collected using a reader specifically designed for the chip. Devices exist which include adapters for all of the chips commonly used in smartphones.

Each of these techniques allows data on a passcode protected phone to be accessed, but not data on an encrypted phone. These methods are used when the logical, physical, and file system acquisition of data is limited or not possible.

NIST Study on Collection of Cell Phone Data - Paraben Electronic Evidence Examiner

Here's a follow-up to last night's tip on a DHS/NIST report on the collection of data from mobile devices using the Cellebrite tool. Last September, the same team published a study, Test Results for Binary Image (JTAG, Chip-Off) Decoding and Analysis Tool: Paraben’s Electronic Evidence Examiner – Device Seizure (E3:DS), which tested the Paraben tool's ability to collect data from HTC, Samsung, LG and ZTE Android cell phones.

Paraben was shown to have trouble collecting data for contacts from Samsung and HTC phones; data from calendars from HTC phones; and could not collect notes; stand-alone files; or GPS data from the HTC One Mini Chip-off at all using a Chip-Off analysis. Call log data and social media data were not always collected from HTC Desire S smartphones.

SMS messages and internet data were collected with the Paraben tool successfully on all of the phones tested using both the JTAG and Chip-Off approaches.