#WaybackWednesday: Mobile Device Investigations Webinar
A smartphone from a key employee lands on your desk, what next? From employment matters and IP theft cases to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations and corporate fraud, mobile devices are the modern reservoir for key data in litigation and investigations. However, this new data source is still uncharted territory for many legal and technology professionals working in law departments and law firms.
Last month, Kroll Ontrack’s own Jason Bergerson presented a useful webinar, Mobile Device Investigations: From Android to iPhone and Back, that provided an introduction to the world of mobile device investigations.
The Complex World of Mobile Data
The webinar began with an introduction to the world of mobile data and it was highlighted that there are many different types of data on mobile phones, each one needing a certain process to identify and extract data properly. While smart phones have been equated to computers, it is important to remember that they are not computers and to treat them the same can be a sanctions-worthy mistake.
The webinar walked through the computer forensic investigative process and provided helpful tips to keep in mind regarding the content in various apps and which data might be the most useful in litigation. The webinar highlighted the complexity of the varieties of data and things to consider when pursuing a forensics investigation.
Not All Phones Are the Same
This webinar also discussed at length the fact that cell phones themselves are a diverse category. Modern smart phones, burner phones, older flip phones and international models each have their own systems and methods of storing data. Furthermore, it needs to be considered where the data is physically located. Is it in the cloud? Or in the device in-hand? Each of these impacts the forensic method and the likelihood of success. The webinar provided various considerations for practitioners, depending on the sort of device at issue in their case.
It Was Deleted; Is It Gone?
In this webinar, various scenarios were explained in which mobile device data might be seemingly lost, but could still be recovered. Also, it was shown how some deleted data can be recovered, but there is a very short time frame in which to do so. The webinar provided guidance for practitioners on how to proceed, so that investigative team can have the best odds of successfully obtaining the needed data.
We at Kroll Ontrack know that time demands and schedules make it difficult to attend webinars. Therefore, we have all our webinars online to view on demand, so that you won’t miss out on information that matters.