List of the best computer forensic tools, Forensic data recovery, Digital forensics. BlackLight by BlackBag is the premiere Mac Forensic Tool on the Market right now and costs approximately $2600. BlackLight started 5 years ago, developing a Mac-only forensic tool. It has now become a good Windows examination tool as well.
If you’ve ever taken apart an Apple device, you know what delicate work it can be.
- Tools for Macintosh Digital Forensics Moses Schwartz CS 489, Digital Forensics. Perform digital forensics on a Mac, with a Mac. This has the added benefit that the. Commercial tools, suggested as of 20027 Canopener by Abbott Systems Inc.
- RECON for Mac OS X is a software tool developed by SUMURI to automate the forensic data gathering process on the Mac OS X operating system. It automates what an experienced examiner would need weeks to accomplish in minutes.
- The Macintosh Forensics Training Program (MFTP) is designed to build on the knowledge and skills acquired in the Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialist Training Program. Students will be issued and trained on a forensic-capable Macintosh computer, applicable peripherals and Apple-specific digital forensic software during the program.
Imagine trying to extract incriminating child pornography photos from a laptop and you’ll understand why tools that help you see what’s on the device before opening it up are increasingly important in law enforcement.
Thanks to grants from the National Institute of Justice, ATC-NY is offering free training to law enforcement departments for its tools P2P Marshal, which detects, extracts and analyzes P2P evidence on hard drives and Mac Marshal, which analyzes Mac OS X file system images. These proprietary tools are also offered free to law enforcement departments; further training sessions are available in 2012.
Cult of Mac talked to Thomas Finch, a detective at the police department in Middletown, Delaware, who hosted a Mac Marshal training session, about how these tools save time and money — and why the latest Android smartphone might be a better choice for criminals.
Cult of Mac: Law enforcement has traditionally been PC, is that changing?
Thomas Finch: Mac is picking up speed in law enforcement, for sure. Forensics is just like any other discipline inside IT, it’s becoming extremely specialized. With the popularity of the iPad and the iPhone, the need for better tools is creating a niche market for forensic tools in law enforcement.
CoM: What’s your department set up like?
TF: We started a forensic unit in 2009. Delaware’s a small state, there were only seven or eight examiners in the whole state at the time. In 2010, I took Mac Marshal training, and because of the capabilities the tool offers, I began pushing the department to make basic forensic skills – cell phone and previewing skills – for Mac and PC available to our officers.
We own a few Macs…I personally use a MacBook Pro for forensics, because with the Intel processor it’s dual boot and does double-duty between Windows and Mac. Some tools require Mac OSX to run and from others you can process from Windows. Using the MacBook Pro, you get the best of both worlds.
CoM: Tell me about Mac Marshal.
TF: It’s a tool that allows you to examine another Mac that’s in target disk mode without writing to that machine and it lets you preview what’s on that machine…
CoM: What kind of cases do you use it for?
TF: A lot of sex crimes. It allows me to preview for pics quicker than disassembling a machine, pulling the hard drive out and then using a true forensic tool to find out what’s there.
I use it for triage for photos. A lot of times, especially with child porn, you’re looking for pictures or videos. I’ve also used it for drug cases, theft cases and even some unauthorized-use-of-computer cases, where the Mac was connected to a network. In the end, it doesn’t matter what kind of case it is, it’s more about what kind of information I’m looking for.
CoM: What can’t you see from this “triage?”
TF: You can’t see file slacks or deleted data with it, so unless the data has been overwritten or deleted, you can pretty much see what you need to see without breaking it down.
You still have the option to do a full-blown forensics examination later on.
CoM: So, in the child porn case example, how would it help?
TF: You may need the triage to see how many videos are on there to decide the initial charges. Then you can go back and do a full examination later, as the case heads to trial. But if you’re looking for probable cause and you want to exclude or include that as evidence and you’re looking for something specific, it’s really good for that.
CoM: What’s the training like?
TF: It’s eight hours of initial training, although most people come with some background in forensics. I had hundreds of hours of training before that. As with any kind of training, money is a factor, this training is free so it’s worth eight hours of looking at the tool and then being able to use it. About half of the people there were federal agents, half were traditional law enforcement.
With forensics becoming very specialized, you need multiple tools to accomplish your goals…
CoM: What are some of those other tools?
TF: I use iOS tools, including Lantern and Cellebrite, which supports about 8,000 cell phones…Those are probably the two biggest other products that I use for iPads, iPhones and iPods…The lab has forensic machines – ours are from Digital Intelligence…We also use EnCase software from Guidance and the Access Data toolkit…
CoM: It sounds like there are a lot different companies offering proprietary products?
TF: It’s becoming more specialized, especially with Mac. There are some open source tools that are helpful but a lot of them are proprietary…
Excel analyst tool pack for office 2016 for mac. CoM: Are there tools you wish you had that don’t exist yet?
TF: With Mac and iOs, it’s more about keeping up with new products, like the new iPad or iPhone 4s and the chipset changes…With iOs 5.0, there were some changes that caused developers to go back make changes to their programs, so there’s a lag.
It’s more an issue with cell phones — new ones are being released all the time and it’s tough to keep up, mostly because we don’t have the tools…
CoM: So, if you want to commit the perfect crime you should get the very latest Android phone?
TF: Not so much perfect, but it might buy you time. If you use one of those phones and keep everything in the cloud, it will be more difficult. You’ll leave a footprint somewhere, it’s just a matter of us finding it…
Forensic Software – Get Your Cyber Crimes and Digital Investigations Solved Quickly
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Investigating a case of cyber crime is not an easy thing to do. The more complicated the case, the more difficult and time-consuming it will be. If you work with the law enforcement, you might need to streamline every case of cyber crimes that you take, so that you can solve it more easily.
No more complicated steps in your digital investigations. With forensic software, you can get your case of cyber crimes solved as efficiently as possible. It helps to bring you through various stages in your investigations, with the highest court approval rate.
EnCase Forensic
EnCase Forensic has become the global standard in digital investigations, providing the highest power, efficiency, and results. It walks you through the various stages of your investigations in logical steps: triage, collect, process, search, analyze, and report.
NetAnalysis
NetAnalysis is a forensic software that walks you through the investigation, analysis, and presentation of forensic evidence in operating system and mobile device usage. It features web browser forensics, filtering and searching, cache export and page rebuilding, and reporting.
DFF (Digital Forensics Framework)
DFF is the software used in digital investigations, which provides digital forensic analysis, investigation and threat detection. It offers various features, including evidence preservation, multimedia analysis, fast data reduction and triage, memory analysis, and user activity analysis.
Magnet Axiom
Magnet Axiom provides a complete digital investigation platform that helps you simplify your analysis and explore your digital evidence more deeply. It leads you to a simple investigation process, which includes evidence acquiring, evidence analysis, and single stage evidence processing.
Helix3 Enterprise
Helix3 Enterprise provides a cyber security solution that helps you to investigate malicious activities within your network. It features quick implementation, review employee internet usage, capture screenshots and key logging, and e-discovery across the entire network.
BlackLight
BlackLight is a forensic software used to analyze your computer volumes and mobile devices. It offers various features, including actionable intel, memory analysis, file filter view, media analysis, communication analysis, and reporting.
X-Ways Forensics
X-Ways Forensics provides an integrated computer forensic software used for computer forensic examiners. There are various features available, including disk cloning and imaging, complete access to disk, automatic partition identification, and superimposition of sectors.
SANS Digital Forensics
SANS Digital Forensics is a forensic software designed to provide any organizations the digital forensics needed for various types of cyber crimes. Aside from providing digital forensic software, it also provides courses to let the organizations deal with cyber crimes in the right way.
Other Forensic Software for Different Platforms
This Forensic software is available on almost all platforms. However, since the software needs a high-end device to perform well, it is better to use the desktop version of the software, since it usually offers more functionalities.
NirSoft
NirSoft is a Windows digital forensic investigation software that offers the ability to extract important data from your drives, with support for external drives. It provides tools to investigate your IE history, IE cache, IE cookies, IE pass, search data, information from other browsers, and live contacts.
BlackBag
BlackBag provides an advanced data retrieval technology that helps you to seek, reveal, and preserve the truth. It is available for Windows and Mac OS. It also provides training about handling cyber crimes, which helps users to use the software more proficiently.
MOBILedit Forensic
MOBILedit Forensic provides the most comprehensive digital investigation tool for Android devices. It offers various features, including support for almost all phones, extract important application data, bypass the passcode, and bypass the PIN code.
Autopsy
Autopsy is a digital forensic software for Linux, with graphical user interface. It allows you to analyze computers and smartphones to reveal traces of digital evidence for cyber crime cases. Plugins are available for this software, which can bring new features to the software.
Belkasoft Evidence Center – Best Forensic Software of 2016
Belkasoft Evidence Center provides an all-in-one forensic solution for digital investigations, which can be used to deal with online and offline crimes. It features all-in-one forensic tool, simple and powerful system, advance low level expertise, as well as clean and concise reports. This software has been used by various law enforcements worldwide.
Snippet Tool For Mac
What is Forensic Software?
Forensic software is a type of software that deals with digital forensic investigations for both online and offline crimes. This software is usually used by law enforcements and governments who want to investigate various crimes involving digital devices, such as computers and smartphones. The software works by examining the target device and provides comprehensive analysis that will reveal suspicious activities within the device. It provides streamlined investigation steps, with concise reports that can be submitted to the court with a high approval rate. Sometimes, this software can also be used to prevent cyber crimes within a network, by detecting suspicious activities as it happens.
How to Install Forensic Software?
Forensic software needs to be installed on a compatible device. Since the software usually demands high performance computers or devices, you need to make sure that your device meets the requirements of the software. Once you do that, you can download the installation file from the official website of the respective software, and run the installation process on your compatible device.
Investigating a cyber crime can take a lot of time, especially when it comes to complex instances of cyber attacks. Regular crimes that involve the use of digital devices can also be very difficult to solve, especially if the device cannot be accessed in any way. This is where forensic software becomes necessary. It helps you with the investigation of various crimes that involve digital devices, with a streamlined investigation process. You don’t need to make your investigation more complex when you use this software. Instead, the software helps you through the logical investigation steps that allow you to solve the case more quickly and easily. Not only that, the results of your investigation are presented in customized reports, allowing you to submit the reports to the court as an evidence, with a high level of court acceptance.