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Interesting behind-the-scenes look at Western Digital — a leader in the data storage and hard drive industry.

When you buy a car, you look under the hood. Given the critical importance of hard disk storage in all of our lives, we thought you might want a peek under that hood, too. Now that Western Digital is in the business of breaking new capacity records the latest Caviar Green was the first drive to hit 2TB, for example, we jumped at the chance to take a first-ever, unrestricted tour of its California R&D facilities. This is the place where magnetic technology of the 1950s meets the nano- and quantum-level technologies of the current decade.

via Great Mysteries To Be Revealed… – Picture Story – Tom’s Hardware.

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Contact:
Andrew Hoog
Chief Investigative Officer
viaForensics
Phone: +1 312-283-0551
http://viaforensics.com/contact-us

viaForensics announces release of Open Source Android Forensics application

viaForensics has released a beta version of its Open Source Android Forensics application supporting all Android devices.

Chicago, Feb 25, 2010 – viaForensics, a computer and mobile forensics firm, has released a beta version of its Open Source Android Forensics application, which allows forensics examiners to export data from an Android device for use by law enforcement and forensic investigators.

The beta version of the application, developed under the direction of lead architect Derek Guardiola, can be downloaded to an Android device enabling examiners to then export data, including browser history, call logs, contact methods, organizations, people and short message service (text messages), to a CSV file on an SD Card.

The development of this application on an open source platform, viaForensics believes, will support the further development of an unparalleled Android Forensics application which can be used free of charge. Developers can easily create plug-ins which will extract additional data from Android devices. Developers interested in participating in the application can contact viaForensics. The project source code and apk files can be downloaded from Google Code: http://code.google.com/p/android-forensics/

As the foremost experts in Android Forensics, viaForensics has developed techniques and training programs preparing law enforcement and forensic providers with the resources to successfully investigate Android devices. viaForensics is also in development on a complimentary reporting application for the extracted data. For more information, visit the viaForensics web page on Android Forensics.

About viaForensics

viaForensics is an innovative computer/mobile forensic and e-discovery firm focusing on providing proactive services to corporations, law enforcement and law firms. Andrew Hoog is a computer scientist, computer/forensics researcher and Chief Investigative Officer at viaForensics.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Andrew Hoog
Chief Investigative Officer
viaForensics
Phone: +1 312-283-0551
http://viaforensics.com/contact-us

The CIO of viaForensics, Andrew Hoog, has been invited to speak at the International Conference on Cyber Security 2010 presented by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Fordham University in New York City this August.

Chicago, Feb 24, 2010 –  viaForensics’ CIO Andrew Hoog will offer a training course on Android forensics at the upcoming Interational Conference on Cyber Security (ICCS 1020), held August 2-5, 2010, in New York City. The conference, hosted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Fordham University, brings together law enforcement officials, industry professionals and academic experts to discuss emerging worldwide cyber threats.

In 2009, the conference hosted more than 500 professionals representing 40 counties. Attendees were an International mix of law enforcement agents and prosecutors, cyber-security researchers, members of academia and business and government leaders.

This year the conference will feature 50 lectures covering three broad areas: Emerging Technologies, Operations and Enforcement, and Real Life Experiences. In addition to the lectures, panel discussions, sponsors’ presentations, exhibitions and networking opportunities, ICCS will present two unique events – a Law Enforcement Workshop and the Cyber Security Tutorial – featuring experts presenting both technical and non-technical sessions.

viaForensics’ training, presented by CIO Andrew Hoog, provides examiners with six separate techniques to acquire data from an Android device. The course explains the techniques and analysis tools needed to effectively investigate an Android phone. The full course outline  is provided on the viaForensics website. The training will be offered on the first day of the conference, August 2nd.

Andrew Hoog has authored a groundbreaking white paper on iPhone forensics and is currently authoring a book on Android forensics. Hoog also maintains the Android Forensics Wiki (AFWiki).

About viaForensics

viaForensics is an innovative computer/mobile forensic and e-discovery firm focusing on providing proactive services to corporations, law enforcement and law firms. Andrew Hoog is a computer scientist, computer/forensics researcher and Chief Investigative Officer at viaForensics.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Andrew Hoog
Chief Investigative Officer
viaForensics
Phone: +1 312-283-0551
http://viaforensics.com/contact-us

CIO of viaForensics speaks on Android Forensics at DoD’s DC3 Conference

CIO of viaForensics, Andrew Hoog, spoke about digital forensics and the Android platform at the U.S. Department of Defense Cyber Crime Conference 2010.

Chicago, Feb 11, 2010 – The CIO of viaForensics, Andrew Hoog, gave a presentation titled “Android Forensics Techniques, File Systems and Analysis” to a group of attendees at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Crime Conference on January 27, 2010. As the Android mobile device platform is poised to make significant inroads into the market, viaForensics’ presentation provides timely information on the Android platform, significant areas of focus for the forensic examiner and forensic techniques that examiners can use today.

While the release of Android’s open source platform is a welcome change, it presents unique challenges for digital forensics examiners, including its use of the YAFFS2 file system, the non-standard C library and the Dalvik virtual machine. viaForensics has put significant research and development efforts into Android Forensics. They have developed a comprehensive training course outlining six separate techniques used to acquire data from Android devices. viaForensics also maintains the Android Forensics Wiki with the latest information on the topic.

The DoD’s Cyber Crime Conference brings together forensic examiners, prosecutor, law enforcement personnel and Federal investigators to address issues related to cyber crime. The conference is sponsored by the DoD Cyber Crime Center (DC3), the Joint Take Force – Global Network Operations and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Historically, the conference draws over 800 participants each year. This year’s theme was “Cyber Professionals: Sentinels of U.S. Security.”

More information on this topic, including information about training sessions and upcoming events, can be found on viaForensics’ website: http://viaforensics.com/android and the Android Forensics Wiki at http://viaforensics.com/afwiki.

About viaForensics

viaForensics is an innovative computer/mobile forensic and e-discovery firm focusing on providing proactive services to corporations, law enforcement and law firms. Andrew Hoog is a computer scientist, computer/forensics researcher and Chief Investigative Officer at viaForensics.

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A sign of things to come…Android is going to be significant.  If you need tools and techniques for the forensic analysis of these phone, please visit our Android Forensics page which has links to training, out mailing list and information on how to subscribe to our AFWiki.

As of December 2009, the research firm's survey shows that 4% of all smartphone owners now use a phone running some version of the Android OS. That's an increase of 200% since the previous survey released in September.

via Android Usage Increased 200% Over Past 3 Months.

Latest tests of 16 anti-virus programs on the removal of 10 known malware packages were not terribly inspiring.  Security hardware and software is not enough to protect corporations which is why we offer several innovative, proactive services leveraging forensics:

“None of the products performed “very good” in malware removal or removal of leftovers, based on those 10 samples. eScan, Symantec and Microsoft (MSE) were the only products to be good in removal of malware AND removal of leftovers”, says the report. “Some products do not remove all registry entries on purpose (as long as they do not have any visible side effect for the user), e.g. if that helps to prevent reinfection by the same malware. Furthermore, in some cases it is not possible to know if the registry values (or the hosts file) were modified by the malware or by the user itself (or third-party utilities used by the user).”

via Battle of the anti-virus: What is the best software?.

This is an important development.  Once Google entered the scene and open sourced Android, it significantly altered the marketplace.  For folks in mobile forensics research, this is great news but represents yet another platform that much be analyzed and kept up to date on.

I also believe Nokia has quite a bit more code releasing to do before Symbian should be considered open source.  I big question on my mind is what is Blackberry/RIM (and other mobile companies for that matter) going to do in this regards?  They lack the developer interest to create the market places users now demand.  Will we see RIM open source parts of the Blackberry OS?  I’ve said for years now they are in position where the run a significant risk of being marginalized despite their large market share.

Today, though, as EETimes notes, Symbian has released its platform microkernel, and software development kit (SDK), as open source under the Eclipse Public License. The Symbian Foundation claims that it is moving quickly toward an open source model, which is questionable, but the release of the EKA2 kernel is a signal that Symbian still means business about adopting an open source model.

via Symbian Releases Microkernel As Open Source, Finally.

I’ve long said the Microsoft’s attempt to force the Windows UI onto a phone would not meet with approving users.  It appears the most recent update (6.5) is still in that category and will likely continue to decline in market share and relevance.  Given Microsoft’s strategic alliance with Nokia/Symbian over ActiveSync, it seems to signal Microsoft is aware they are fighting a losing battle.  On to the review:

The interface improvements are welcome – and long overdue – but the changes are mere window dressing. It’s simply not good enough to overthrow Android or the iPhone

via Windows Phone review / Windows Mobile 6.5 review | Software | Reviews | PC Pro.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Andrew Hoog
Chief Investigative Officer
viaForensics
Phone: +1 312-283-0551
http://viaforensics.com/contact-us

Groundbreaking research on Android Forensics discussed this week by Andrew Hoog as guest on Talk Forensics

Andrew Hoog, CIO of viaForensics, Computer Scientist and Forensic Analyst Discusses His Latest Groundbreaking Research on Android Forensics On Talk Forensics Radio Show, Sunday September 27th at 4pm eastern.

Chicago, September 25, 20009 – Talk Forensics, a highly popular talk radio show hosted by Larry Daniel of Guardian Digital Forensics, is proud to announce that Andrew Hoog, CIO of viaForensics, Computer Scientist and Forensics Analyst will be the guest on Talk Forensics for the September 27th Episode. Andrew Hoog, chief investigative officer of viaForensics, is a recognized computer scientist and forensic analyst and former chief information officer of a $750 million multinational corporation. He has led investigations, contributed to policy development and lectured at corporations, attorneys’ associations and law enforcement agencies about the computer forensic discipline. He maintains a computer forensics and e-discovery glossary, authors computer/mobile forensic how-to guides and is now writing a book about Android forensics. He is the author of a groundbreaking white paper on iPhone forensics that has gained recognition throughout the industry.

Join host Larry Daniel and Computer Scientist Andrew Hoog as they discuss Andrew’s latest research and development in Android Forensics.

About the Show:

The purpose of our show is to educate and entertain the public on the various fields of forensic science, crime scene investigation, missing person searches and various aspects of the legal system as it relates to forensic science.

You can call (646) 727-3674 and ask questions of our Expert Guest during the live show.

About our host:

The host of our show is Larry E. Daniel. Larry is the primary expert for Guardian Digital Forensics. Larry is well known for his work on capital cases and is an expert in computer forensics. Larry also writes a popular internet blog on forensics at www.exforensis.blogspot.com

About viaForensics:

viaForensics is an innovative computer/mobile forensic and e-discovery company providing expert consulting services to corporations, law firms, law enforcement and government agencies. Beyond servicing our clients immediate needs, the company focuses on groundbreaking research in areas such as mobile forensics, SQLite forensics, data visualization and general education on forensics by regularly posting HOWTOs, glossary terms and the results of our research, accessible at viaforensics.com.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Andrew Hoog
Chief Investigative Officer
viaFORENSICS
Phone: +1 773-539-7909
http://viaforensics.com/contact-us

Free iPhone Forensics White Paper Released by viaFORENSICS

iPhone forensics white paper targets forensic analysts and consumers who want to understand what personal information is stored on the iPhone and how to recover it.

Chicago, March 2, 2009 – viaFORENSICS released a free white paper on iPhone Forensics at viaforensics.com that reveals the vast amount of personal information stored on Apple’s iPhone and reviews techniques and software for retrieving this information. Consumers and corporations have a legitimate concern over confidential information and its unauthorized release or use. This paper educates readers on what information is stored and reviews six specific products and techniques for recovering it.

The testing was performed on a 3G iPhone with less than six months of use. Yet one technique recovered more than 30,000 files, including text messages, contacts, GPS locations, website history and Facebook images. The testing also recovered highly sensitive information including online banking credentials. Most consumers and corporations are unaware of how much information modern smart phones store. As a result some sell used iPhones without securely deleting data, resulting in complete exposure of all information stored on their devices.

The white paper is available for download at http://viaforensics.com/iphone-forensic-software/iphone-forensic-white-paper.html by registering with your email address. Notification of future updates will be provided as well as information on an upcoming white paper on Android Forensics.

About viaFORENSICS

viaFORENSICS is an e-discovery and computer/mobile forensic company providing expert consulting services for law firms and corporations. The company also focuses on industry and general education and maintains a computer forensic and e-discovery glossary and technical how-to guides on their website, viaforensics.com.

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