Summary

In recent months, an increase in cases involving cell phones and tablet devices are being brought to ICS as concerns about cell phone security grow. These concerns are particularly serious for people who own or operate a business, but these are certainly not the only people who have reason to worry about the information their cell phone may be giving out. Clients may want to consider a cell phone investigation with ICS if:

• You currently are, or have been in the past, the victim of stalking
  
• You are involved in a major lawsuit and think the opposing legal team may be trying to illegally gain information
  
• You use your cell phone heavily and want to test its security and learn more about keeping it free of spyware or other illegal forms of hacking

Conclusion

A particularly interesting case ICS took on involved using eDiscovery as a method of counterintelligence. A successful businessman came to ICS after receiving viable threats of corporate espionage that had caused him to worry about the security of his business contact information. In this case, the client had an Android phone that automatically synced contact information through his Google account. Since information on the phone could also be found online, the client was right to worry about the security of his private business information.

ICS was able to help the businessman in several ways. First, a team of cell phone forensic technicians took a forensic image of the Android phone, giving them a clear understanding of how the phone had been used and if it had been used as a part of a corporate espionage plot. By using a systematic and innovative approach to cell phone forensics, ICS was able to determine the phone was free of any spyware. However, because the phone had also been backed up online, the client was still at some risk of having his private contacts hacked, stolen, or viewed through illegal means.

ICS was able to install software that would disable to Google sync function. From here, ICS helped the concerned businessman take his security one step further, by creating and uploading a fake set of business contacts onto his phone, then overwriting the real contacts on Google with the fake contacts created by ICS. With this additional security measure, the client gained significant peace of mind, knowing his real information was protected.

What to do Next

Any cell phone can become a security problem, but their benefits are enormous, and depending on the type of the phone, proper measures can be taken to ensure that your phone continues to work for you, rather than leaking information about you. If you have any reason to believe your cell phone may contain spyware or other illegal or harmful programs, contact ICS to begin your free consultation right away. Do not live your life in fear of your phone, let ICS verify its safety and teach you ways to better protect yourself from spying eyes in the future.