An Android Case Study on Technical Anti-Forensic Challenges of WhatsApp Application

Mirza, Mohammad Meraj; Salamh, Fahad E.; Karabiyik, Umit

doi:10.1109/isdfs49300.2020.9116192

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…This category also includes works on O.S. applications for mobile devices, such as the work by M. Mirza et al [176] on anti-forensic techniques dedicated to the WhatsApp messaging application.…”

Section: Weaknesses and Anti-forensic Use Cases In Mobile Device Oper...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further articles explore techniques such as data deletion and manipulation to evade existing forensic tools [173], operating system modifications to block data extraction [174,177], and the exploitation of vulnerabilities in applications such as WhatsApp [176]. The articles in question also highlight the need to develop more robust forensic tools and methods to counter anti-forensic techniques, crucial for criminal investigation and the protection of digital evidence on mobile devices.…”

Section: Weaknesses and Anti-forensic Use Cases In Mobile Device Oper...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Article [175] analyses the vulnerabilities of specific forensic services on iOS. Article [176] explores WhatsApp vulnerabilities for anti-forensic purposes. Finally, article [178] proposes a novel method of protecting encryption keys on Android.…”

Section: Weaknesses and Anti-forensic Use Cases In Mobile Device Oper...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Systematic Review: Anti-Forensic Computer Techniques

González Arias,

Bermejo Higuera,

Rainer Granados

et al. 2024

Applied Sciences

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The main purpose of anti-forensic computer techniques, in the broadest sense, is to hinder the investigation of a computer attack by eliminating traces and preventing the collection of data contained in a computer system. Nowadays, cyber-attacks are becoming more and more frequent and sophisticated, so it is necessary to understand the techniques used by hackers to be able to carry out a correct forensic analysis leading to the identification of the perpetrators. Despite its importance, this is a poorly represented area in the scientific literature. The disparity of the existing works, together with the small number of articles, makes it challenging to find one’s way around the vast world of computer forensics. This article presents a comprehensive review of the existing scientific literature on anti-forensic techniques, mainly DFIR (digital forensics incident response), organizing the studies according to their subject matter and orientation. It also presents key ideas that contribute to the understanding of this field of forensic science and details the shortcomings identified after reviewing the state of the art.

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Section: Weaknesses and Anti-forensic Use Cases In Mobile Device Oper...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Weaknesses and Anti-forensic Use Cases In Mobile Device Oper...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Systematic Review: Anti-Forensic Computer Techniques

González Arias,

Bermejo Higuera,

Rainer Granados

et al. 2024

Applied Sciences

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show abstract

“…Research on the Android platform is actively being conducted in areas such as acquiring and analyzing data stored in smartphones, permanently deleting data, and analyzing filesystems [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. In 2018, a study was conducted to acquire and analyze banking and public transportation application data stored on Android smartphones [ 7 ].…”

Section: Related Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Forensic Analysis to Improve User Privacy on Android

Kim

Shin

Kim

et al. 2022

Sensors

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The Android platform accounts for 85% of the global smartphone operating-system market share, and recently, it has also been installed on Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices such as wearable devices and vehicles. These Android-based devices store various personal information such as user IDs, addresses, and payment information and device usage data when providing convenient functions to users. Insufficient security for the management and deletion of data stored in the device can lead to various cyber security threats such as personal information leakage and identity theft. Therefore, research on the protection of personal information stored in the device is very important. However, there is a limitation that the current research for protection of personal information on the existing Android platform was only conducted on Android platform 6 or lower. In this paper, we analyze the deleted data remaining on the device and the possibility of recovery to improve user privacy for smartphones using Android platforms 9 and 10. The deleted data analysis is performed based on three data deletion scenarios: data deletion using the app’s own function, data deletion using the system app’s data and cache deletion function, and uninstallation of installed apps. It demonstrates the potential user privacy problems that can occur when using Android platforms 9 and 10 due to the leakage of recovered data. It also highlights the need for improving the security of personal user information by erasing the traces of deleted data that remain in the journal area and directory entry area of the filesystem used in Android platforms 9 and 10.

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“…Challenges related to the collection and analysis of What-sApp have been discussed in [7]. While [24] proposed a tool that tackles specific issues related to WhatsApp investigation, further implications have been discussed in [27]. Also, a new forensic analysis has been proposed in [28] that captures deleted messages logged into the Write Ahead Logging (WAL) SQLite database.…”

Section: A Instant Messaging Appsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What’s on the Horizon? An In-Depth Forensic Analysis of Android and iOS Applications

et al. 2021

Self Cite

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In the digital forensics discipline, the lack of comprehensive research that addresses investigative challenges and opportunities for newer mobile Operating Systems (OSs) such as Android 10 and Apple iOS 13, keeps continuing. These two OSs are currently being widely adopted by millions of smartphones and used by millions of users, therefore, forensic investigators need to be prepared to analyze these OSs during an investigation giving consideration to mobile app updates. The current research efforts focus on the forensic analysis of individual applications of certain OSs. In this study, we conducted a detailed forensic investigation of both Android and iOS OSs to (1) elucidate their structures for investigators, (2) identify pertinent forensic artifacts, (3) highlight any privacy and security concerns in popular applications present on both OSs, and (4) validate the forensic investigation on the selected tools for reproducibility and verification purposes. This work aims to analyze 27 Android and 33 iOS mobile applications comprehensively.INDEX TERMS Android forensics, iOS forensics, investigative techniques, mobile forensics, personally identifiable information, privacy, security.

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An Android Case Study on Technical Anti-Forensic Challenges of WhatsApp Application

Cited by 10 publications

References 7 publications

Systematic Review: Anti-Forensic Computer Techniques

Systematic Review: Anti-Forensic Computer Techniques

Digital Forensic Analysis to Improve User Privacy on Android

What’s on the Horizon? An In-Depth Forensic Analysis of Android and iOS Applications

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