Title

Loose‐Lipped Mobile Device Intelligent Personal Assistants: A Discussion of Information Gleaned from Siri on Locked iOS Devices.

Authors

Horsman, Graeme

Abstract

The forensic analysis of mobile handsets is becoming a more prominent factor in many criminal investigations. Despite such devices frequently storing relevant evidential content to support an investigation, accessing this information is becoming an increasingly difficult task due to enhanced effective security features. Where access to a device's resident data is not possible via traditional mobile forensic methods, in some cases it may still be possible to extract user information via queries made to an installed intelligent personal assistant. This article presents an evaluation of the information which is retrievable from Apple's Siri when interacted with on a locked iOS device running iOS 11.2.5 (the latest at the time of testing). The testing of verbal commands designed to elicit a response from Siri demonstrate the ability to recover call log, SMS, Contacts, Apple Maps, Calendar, and device information which may support any further investigation.

Subjects

IOS (Operating system); INTELLIGENT personal assistants; MOBILE apps; CRIMINAL investigation; COMPUTER security; FORENSIC sciences

Publication

Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2019, Vol 64, Issue 1, p231

ISSN

0022-1198

Publication type

Academic Journal

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13804