Challenges of Smart Phone Forensics

Mobile devices have become an essential component of our daily lives. These devices keep us connected and act as so much more than the cell phones and portable music players of the 1990's. It is common today for a smartphone to act as a mobile office, social tool, and an entertainment center all rolled into one. Many households have one or two computers shared by the inhabitants, but almost everyone over 16 has a cell phone and, since the device is tied more closely to the user, the data is also.

Today’s smartphones come with storage capacity that is similar to business laptops of just a few years ago. The combination of functionality and storage space makes smartphones a prime target for forensics investigators.

Data commonly found on Smartphones

Email
Text Messaging
Photos
Video
Audio
Web History
Call History
Application Data
eBooks
Maps

With additional functionality being added almost daily, smartphones are a rapidly changing environment which presents several challenges to a forensic investigator.

OS Changes

Unlike the windows world where major OS (Operating System) changes are rare smartphones receive frequent major OS updates. Windows XP was sold on new computers from 2001 thru the end of 2009 and is still in widespread use in both the home and business markets. As you can see from the table below, the iPhone IOS (iPhone Operating System) has had major releases annually. Major releases for one Smartphone OS or another are happening nearly every quarter.......

Source : forensicfocus