It is important for Digital Forensic Investigators to be aware of the more complicated and costly methods that exist for acquiring and analyzing data on mobile devices. For instance, using specialized equipment for accessing circuit boards of mobile devices, it is possible to access data in memory directly. In addition to acquiring physical memory contents, this low-level access can be used to overwrite passwords and other security mechanisms. We provide an overview these advanced topics, including the JTAG interface.

In the last day, you will apply the methods and tools covered in this course to a realistic hands-on digital investigation. You will process and analyze evidence a real-world case scenario with the goal of recovering relevant evidence from a mobile device, and reconstructing associated activities using the methodology covered in the course. This capstone exercise is designed to hone your mobile device forensics skills, and help you to apply them in an actual investigation.

Even the most ingenious technical analysis becomes worthless if it is not clearly presented to decision makers like a manager, lawyer, or jury. For this reason, we spend the final part of the course discussing better approaches to presenting your findings to a non technical audience.