DFRWS 2015 USA
Network and device forensic analysis of Android social-messaging applications

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diin.2015.05.009Get rights and content
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Abstract

In this research we forensically acquire and analyze the device-stored data and network traffic of 20 popular instant messaging applications for Android. We were able to reconstruct some or the entire message content from 16 of the 20 applications tested, which reflects poorly on the security and privacy measures employed by these applications but may be construed positively for evidence collection purposes by digital forensic practitioners. This work shows which features of these instant messaging applications leave evidentiary traces allowing for suspect data to be reconstructed or partially reconstructed, and whether network forensics or device forensics permits the reconstruction of that activity. We show that in most cases we were able to reconstruct or intercept data such as: passwords, screenshots taken by applications, pictures, videos, audio sent, messages sent, sketches, profile pictures and more.

Keywords

Network forensics
Android forensics
Instant messaging
Privacy of messaging applications
Application security testing
Datapp

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