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.

NIST Study on Collection of Cell Phone Data

In January, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Institute of Standards and Technology published a study, Test Results for Binary Image (Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), ChipOff) Decoding and Analysis Tool: Cellebrite Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED) Physical Analyzer v7.20.0.123 which tested the Cellebrite tool's ability to decode and analyze cell phone data. This study examined HTC, Samsung, LG, and Motorola Android devices.

The study showed that Cellebrite Physical Analyzer could not collect stand-alone files and GPS related data on the HTC One Mini.

Twitter social media was partially omitted in data collected from a LG K7.

Facebook was not fully collected from the HTC One XL.

Call logs; SMS messages; PIM Data (personal information synchronized over networks); application data; and internet data was collected without issue from all devices. Deleted contacts, deleted calendar appointments, and deleted call logs were recovered from HTC devices.

International Mobile Equipment Identity

International Mobile Equipment Identity is a unique number used to identify mobile phones - the device itself, not the subscriber who uses the phone. The number is usually listed on the battery, and can often be found by dialing *#06#. I tried this on my iPhone this evening and it worked.

Actually when *#06# is dialed four different numbers are shown. The EID; the IMEI; the IMEI2; and the MEID. Each number is shown with a bar code. The IMEI and MEID numbers are nearly identical (MEID simply drops the last digit of the IMEI) and both are used to track individual devices. The IMEI2 number is an indication that a device has two SIM cards. With a second SIM card the phone can operate on two different mobile networks.