AISS is now conducting Cellular Investigations / Cell Phone Forensics in the Houston and surrounding area.  We are offering both drop off and on-site collection for entry level cellular device examinations. This is NOT a full on Forensic Examination of the device, but rather a “Top Level Scrape”, “Rip”, “Quick Look”, “Triage”, "Cell Phone Dump" etc. What this does is take a quick look at the device’s contents and provide a report letting you see what’s on the device in an easy to navigate report.  The report is in a PDF format or interactive html file.

Every device is different but this is what can generally be found:
Call Logs
Contact Lists
SMS (Text) and MMS (Video/Audio) Messages Images
Videos
Wi-Fi Connection Names
GPS Coordinates from Pictures (if enabled)
Email Accounts Used
Bookmarks
Internet Search History
Installed Apps

** Note: In some instances deleted items MAY be recovered, but it is not guaranteed. **

Unallocated Data / Deleted Data – Many mobile phone forensic tools may only provide the logical acquisition of data. Deleted data may only be recoverable from a physical acquisition. While our methods have recovered some deleted files in the past, in order to guarantee ALL deleted material is recovered, a full forensic exam is needed. AISS does not offer this service at this time.

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CLIENT understands and agrees that AISS is NOT a Certified Forensic Examiner and this procedure is NOT a total forensic exam of the device. This is what’s known as a “Triage Examination” which lets a user look at the information currently on the device. This information is NOT admissible in court, and if CLIENT wishes to use the information in court, they should conduct a full Forensic Exam of the device from a Certified Forensic Examination Company. AISS is unable to testify in any court as to the contents of any device examined, nor can their report be used as evidence.
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PRICING:

Drop Off: If you drop off your device, the fee is $500 - for a full collection with report on a thumb drive. You can pick up your device and report the following day. Devices with large amounts of data may take an additional day. An additional charge of $95 per hour is incurred for clients requesting filtering, keyword searching, and review of data. There is NO charge if we are unable to connect to the device or we are unable to recover any data at all.

On-Site: If you meet with an investigator and wait while your device is examined, the price is $750 - for a full collection. This includes up to 2 hours of on-site collection and report processing time. For collections taking over 2 hours, an additional fee of $95 per hour is charged. After hours collections will incur an additional fee. On-site collection can allow real time viewing, along with keyword searching and file specific tagging. There is only a $75 fee charged if we are unable to connect to the device or we are unable to recover any data.

AUTHORIZATION:

** Only the Primary User of the device can give authorization to have the device examined. **

It doesn’t matter who pays/paid for the device or who pays for the cellular service; the Primary User of the device is the owner of the information in the device. If you are NOT the Primary User of the device, then you have to get permission from the Primary User by having them sign a release form. If the device is owned by a business, the business can give authorization.  

** PARENTS DO NOT NEED THEIR CHILD'S PERMISSION TO ANALYZE THE CHILD'S PHONE. **

We are not able to examine password protected devices without the password.

MAKE INVESTIGATIONS EASIER:

With our dynamic acquisition capabilities AISS investigators can instantly examine data and quickly decide which evidence requires further forensic investigation.

Locate Evidence of Interest in Clear, Organized Views

• Easily navigate between views (Communications, Media, Locations, Apps, Internet and Productivity)
• View all messages (SMS, WhatsApp, etc.) in a native format or an indexed list
• Filter any data set by keyword and/or date/time
• View files with geolocation data alongside the built-in Google Maps GPS pane
• Once you’ve reviewed this report you can then decide if you need to send the device off for a full Forensic Examination.
• How long does the process take? This depends on the device, and how much information is stored on it. Some collections can be finished in under an hour, but devices with more than 20gb of data may take more than a few hours for a full collection. If the Client is only interested in certain items to be collected or a certain time frame, the process can go much quicker.
• Can the collected items be filtered or searched? Yes. We can produce a report with only tagged items of interest or produce a full report for your review. After the collection process, we can search results for keywords, dates, contacts, etc. Once the report is generated however, all the data is included. You can still keyword search the report, but reports on devices with large amounts of data can reach hundreds of pages. Large reports over 1gb in size may be divided into multiple PDF files.
• We recommend backing up your device to your computer BEFORE any examination of the device takes place.
• Best results come from using the factory cable that came with the device.

ACQUISITION:

Choose Collection Options and Quickly Acquire Data

• View data in real time during the device acquisition
• Unplug the device at any time, preserving all acquired data
• Get an immediate snapshot of key user info from the device
• Select the order in which third party application data is collected
• Even with a locked iPhone/iPad, the model number, device name and iOS software version are displayed

REPORTING:

Customize Your Report

• Identify and tag collected data, even while it is still being acquired
• Tailor the report to either include all data, or just tagged evidence
• Quickly export to HTML or PDF

A Summary Report (PDF) of the device’s contents, may include, but not guaranteed to include: Call Logs, Contact Lists, Wi-Fi Connection Names, GPS Coordinates from Pictures (if enabled), SMS (Text) and MMS (Video/Audio) Messages, Images, Videos, Bookmarks, Internet Search History, Email Accounts Used, and Installed Apps.

Note: In some instances deleted items MAY be recovered, but it is not guaranteed.

The PDF Report will be copied to a USB thumb drive which the client can pick up once completed or mailed to them. The client will need a program such as Adobe Reader in order to open and view the PDF report. Devices with large hard drives where the owner keeps multiple photos/videos/texts can result in reports being hundreds of pages long and may require the report being broken into multiple PDFs.

COMPATIBILITY:

iOS

• iPhone 3G and newer with iOS 4.0 to 12
• All iPads with iOS 4.0 to 12
• iPod Touch 2G and newer with iOS 4.0 to 12

Android

• Devices running Android 4.0.4 to 8.0 (without encryption)
• Devices manufactured by: Samsung, Motorola, HTC, LG, Google Nexus
  • Note*: Additional devices running Android 4.0 or later may function properly if the appropriate USB driver for Windows OS is installed

ANDROID ROOTING RESOURCES:

With some Android devices and some Android versions, sometimes certain data may be “locked” and can’t be viewed or examined unless the device has been “Rooted”. This includes deleted data.

AISS will NOT root your device.

”Rooting a device” is gaining access to the root directory of the device and having the appropriate permissions to take developer level actions on the device itself. Some information on Androids can’t be accessed without rooting the device. Before any work is attempted on your device, you need to make sure that the device has been fully backed up to a computer. Doing this is simple insurance if, in fact, your device becomes inoperable from rooting.

Warning: Attempting to root a device WILL VOID THE WARRANTY and has the possibility of rendering the device inoperable. Apps are readily available that will tell a user if their device has been rooted.  There are apps that claim they can "Un-Root" your device and bring it back to the factory system.

If you wish to root your Android device before examination, do so at your own risk. For your convenience we have included some reference links. We are NOT responsible for any information found in these links and they are included for informational purposes only:

http://www.androidchum.com/2018/05/12/rooting-android-the-ultimate-guide/
http://www.androidchum.com/2018/05/12/installing-magisk-systemless-root-with-twrp/
http://www.androidchum.com/2018/05/12/the-best-one-tap-root-apps-to-root-android/
https://www.howtogeek.com/248619/how-to-unroot-your-android-phone/
https://www.lifewire.com/root-or-not-root-android-1616838
https://www.tenorshare.com/root/check-if-an-android-phone-is-rooted-or-not.html

There are also YouTube videos on how to do it.

PREPARING YOUR DEVICE BEFORE COLLECTION:

If you wish to Root your Android device, please do so BEFORE you meet for collection. Sometimes rooting can take hours.

Your Android device needs to be placed in “Developer Mode with USB Debugging”

• Make sure the Android device is unlocked, and that the USB debugging mode has been selected from the Developer options (or, on some devices, Development) in the device's Settings menu. The USB debugging option may have to be selected and unselected a few times on some Android devices.
  • Note: Newer Android devices may have the Developer option hidden. Go to Settings, select About phone, and tap Build number seven (7) times. Then return to the Settings menu, Select the unhidden Developer options (or, Development,) and choose Android debugging. (The exact wording for these settings may vary slightly from one device to another.)
  • If examining an Android device that is "rooted," ensure that the device's developer option for Root Access is set to Apps and ADB prior to beginning the collection. If this Root Access option is set to Apps Only, the software may not be able to properly interact with the device.

Your device should be placed in “Airplane Mode” so that no incoming signals will interfere with the collection process.

Your device should have the screen timeout mode deactivated during the examination

• The Android device may auto-lock, and it is important to keep the device awake during the collection. Go to the device's Settings menu and turn off auto-lock, or change the amount of time before auto-lock occurs.