Seeking the Truth from Mobile Evidence: Basic Fundamentals, Intermediate and Advanced Overview of Current Mobile Forensic Investigations

I had intended to write a review of this book much sooner, but there was so much material that I need a bit more time to go through it. This is not just a quick introduction to mobile phone forensics. It is really a physical representation and conveyance of the author's vast and in-depth knowledge of this field. The overall structure of the book is very practical and makes it quite accessible, maybe not for complete beginners to the field of digital forensics, but certainly for anyone with a bit of knowledge and experience that is looking to improve their ability to handle mobile device evidence more competently and to learn the latest, most highly in-demand skills necessary to move past the automated exam tools that most practitioners depend on. The material in this text will easily advance you to the next level of mobile device forensics and not as easily or affordably accessible anywhere else.The structure is very natural and systematic beginning with basic theory, methodologies, and tools. Although there may be a portion of “beginner level” material, there is an abundance of important, specialized knowledge that reflects the author’s decades of experience. The author then progresses to intermediate level concepts and techniques, which will provide an already-working practitioner a better understanding of a number of the commonly used processes they may be using on a regular basis and a number of entirely new techniques.In the third, most advanced sections, the author provides an in-depth introduction to some of the most technical techniques being used today in order to access data contained with mobile telephones via specialized interfaces and even discrete memory chips that are often recovered from badly damaged devices. I have not seen anything in print that covers these advanced procedures outside of training material prepared specifically for law enforcement and intelligence agency training programs. There is private sector training available, but it is very rare and quite expensive, easily costing more than 100 times the cost of this title.Throughout each division of the book, the author provides ample illustrations, step-by-step procedures, repeatable sample exercises, and specific sources for hardware and software tools to make the work possible. All of this is filled to the brim with the author's anecdotes, personal case examples and experiences, and countless tips and suggestions which are all interspersed throughout the entire text in a manner that makes it seem as if he is there by your side as you work through the material. Reading through the chapters, I felt almost as if the author was speaking to me as he explained everything.I honestly cannot praise this work highly enough. It is a unique title that anyone and everyone working in digital forensics that ever handles mobile device evidence should own. I found a very few typos, none of which affected the reading and are easily passed over. Most of the screen shot images and photographs are clear enough to see. However, a few of them are a bit dark with text that is too small to see clearly. High quality, full-color images have been made available at the online companion web site as downloadable zip files for each chapter. This is not an issue in the eBook version since it contains the higher resolution color images.

This was one of the few textbooks that I've read cover to cover. I found the book to be very effective, especially when coupled with good teaching. The topics that this book cover are pretty broad. They include everything from report writing, to JTAGs and Chip-offs, to cellular networks, to popular forensics software. This book is especially enjoyable because John integrates his own personal experiences into many of the chapters, as well as his humor. Would definitely recommend.

This was an EXCELLENT textbook, well worth the money. For anyone who is already invested in mobile forensics or is simply interested in getting involved in forensics this is a great textbook to purchase. As one of John Bair's students, I can say first hand that a large majority of the information in this textbook was useful in the class, especially in the labs (particularly regarding JTAGS). If you're at all interested in mobile forensic work, this is the book to get.

This book really helps me understand the significant processes and goals in mobile forensics. Every section is covered in great details and Bair also shared many of his brilliant analogy and personal stories which made it fun to read! Strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning mobile forensics. .

Great price needed for a class

A great book with lots of information related to mobile forensics. There's stuff in here that isn't anywhere else. Definitely handy if you work in this field or just interested in this topic.

There's quite a bit of stuff in this book. The eBook has colored images, which blow away the black and white images in the book. Plus, readers get access to additional examples and files with the on line companion. The JTAG, ISP, and chip off chapters are worth the price of the book alone.

Seeking the Truth from Mobile Evidence is a great textbook that encompasses the forensic process on older cell phones. The book itself starts each chapter with a true scenario the author has come across so you can relate the relevance of the chapter to a real-world scenario. The actual processes in the book are step by step. The author does a great job breaking the processes down so that is it easy to follow along. I would recommend the online version over the hard copy if you are a visual person. The photos are much better online, but they get the job done in the book as well. Sometimes the little details just are a little more difficult to see in the hard copy. At the end of each chapter there is a brief summary, which is nice if you just need a quick reminder on a main concept. The book talks about various topics including the difference in cell phones, how to decode hex coding to see deleted messages, what to consider when handling a phone on a crime scene and even provides explanations on how to remove a chip off the phone to retrieve data. It has a lot of cool stuff to read about. I did personally use this book as a tool and was able to accomplish many of the different activities by following along. I would recommend even if you don’t have access to the tools needed but are interested in this field. It has a lot of good information.