AX300 Axiom Advanced Mobile Forensics

Course Modules

Module 1: Course introduction
• Meet the instructor and other students while seeing what’s expected for the week.
• Install Magnet Axiom and other open-source tools and files that are needed for the course completion.
• A discussion of mobile evidence handling considerations, the current state of mobile forensics, and the history of mobile device extraction types.

Module 2: iOS system artefacts
• Learn about the iOS/iPadOS file system, including the structure and the different file types that developers use to store system and application related data.
• Understand how to track device wipes/device migrations.
• Learn how to conduct advanced media analysis of iOS devices, including how to track files across iCloud services and files related to third party applications.
• Learn how Axiom can be used to investigate system related artefacts including Apple Health, Apple CarPlay and iCloud.

Module 3: iOS pattern of life analysis
• Gain knowledge of system related artefacts such as KnowledgeC, Biomes and Powerlog, that can contribute to pattern of life analysis.
• Learn how to manually examine these artefacts, and validate how Axiom is presenting pattern of life artefacts.
• Understand how to apply Axiom features such as Timeline to enhance the analysis of pattern of life artefacts.
• Other services such as AirDrop will also be explored, exploring how to track files sent and received via the AirDrop service.

Module 4: iOS application analysis
• Understand how to establish what applications are installed on a device, including when they have been installed.
• Learn how to evaluate what permissions have been granted to applications and how this helps to build a profile of a particular application.
• Gain knowledge of how iOS applications store their data, including an understanding of containers and shared areas within the file system.
• The iOS Files application will be discussed in depth here, including methodologies to track files stored locally on the device, as well as files stored within iCloud.

Module 5: Social media & messaging on iOS
• Students will gain an understanding of how more popular social media and messaging applications on iOS devices are storing their data.
• More common social media and messaging applications such as Discord, WhatsApp and Snapchat will be explored.
• Develop an understanding of the volatility of these types of applications and how to apply an investigative methodology to allow manual analysis for potentially unsupported applications.

Module 6: Android system artefacts
• Learn how to gather key information about Android devices, including general device information and Android users.
• Develop an understanding of more advanced secure features such as Secure Folder and how Axiom can be used to investigate data from these types of secure containers.
• Learn about and discuss common artefacts such as SMS messaging, web browser data, email data and application activity.
• Understand Android media directories, including file types such as Motion Photos.
• Learn how to track device wipes on Android and understand how Axiom presents device wipe artefacts.

Module 7: Android application analysis
• Learn how to identify installed applications on Android devices, as well as its associated information such as granted permissions.
• Develop an understanding of Google Play artefacts in Axiom, and how they can be used to provide more information relating to installed applications.
• Establish knowledge surrounding manual examination of directories within the Android file system in order to understand how to examine data from potentially unsupported applications.
• Understand Android media directories, including file types such as Motion Photos.
• File manager applications such as Google Files will also be discussed in this module, where students will understand how these types of application can provide valuable insight into the usage of an Android device.

Module 8: Social media and messaging on Android
• This module will focus on common social media and messaging applications found on Android devices. Students will understand the volatility of the structure of these types of applications.
• Students will gain an understanding of how more popular social media and messaging applications on Android devices are storing their data.
• More common social media and messaging applications such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Signal will be examined.