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iPhone Poses Forensic Challenges
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 4:00 PM - by Jeff Gamet
Apple’s iPhone could potentially be a gold mine of information for criminal forensic analysts. It could also, however, prove to be a headache thanks to its OS X foundation, according to Wired.
The combination iPod and smart phone is easy to use by design, which means that users are more likely to take advantage of its features. By using those features, iPhone owners could be leaving a digital trail that could eventually become evidence in a criminal investigation.
Derrick Donnelly, chief technology officer at Blackbag Technologies, a company that specializes in Apple-related forensic research, commented "The ease of use lends itself to more use... and more use creates more artifacts."
The problem is how to get information off of an iPhone without potentially tampering with evidence. If there is a potential for information to be altered in any way as it is removed from the device, that raises the possibility that it has been changed to benefit or harm the suspect which ultimately means it is of little value in court.
Paraben CEO Amber Schroader, doesn’t see the iPhone as a reliable source of evidence. Her company develops digital-forensics software, and like Paraben’s competitors, does not have tools that can extract data from an iPhone.
"The iPhone is evil," she said. "It’s Mac OS X, and it’s a completely closed system."
For now, investigators may be limited to turning on an iPhone, and taking photographs of its display. Alternately, they may use a suspect’s iPhone to lead them back to other devices it has been connected to, including their own computer. From there, investigators could use existing computer forensic techniques to hunt for evidence.
Once forensic experts find a way to work around Apple’s tight lock-down on the iPhone, it may prove to hold a treasure trove of evidence in criminal investigations, and Mr. Donnelly agrees. "There is more information in there than your average cell phone," he said.
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