Imagine this: in a few days, you're about to sign a deal worth several million dollars. But for the past few weeks, you've had this unsettling feeling that your business partner knows too much, details from conversations you only had with family, meeting times that shouldn't be known to anyone else. And on top of that, your phone's been draining battery unusually fast lately.
Sounds like something out of a thriller, right? Yet these are real situations people face every month. In the digital age, our devices are like diaries - recording every step, every conversation, every location. The problem is, most of us have no idea how much information is actually stored in them. And sometimes, that information can be the key to solving life's dramas or business puzzles.
Divorce is never simple. But when significant assets are at stake, emotions mix with mathematics into an explosive combination. Sometimes one party claims to have only modest savings, but for the past several years the couple lived on a combined income exceeding half a million annually. The natural question: where did that money go?
This is a question we hear more often than you might think. In such cases, the answer often lies in a smartphone. Not because someone wants to illegally breach privacy, but because during divorce proceedings, with a court order, hidden transactions, deleted messages, and financial apps need to be examined.
This is where specialized mobile device forensic analysis tools come into play. The capabilities of such tools depend on many factors: the device model, operating system version, whether the device was jailbroken, and what security measures were active. To the average person, this sounds like something out of science fiction. But in reality, it's an advanced method of recovering information that was deliberately hidden or "accidentally" deleted.
Imagine you have a book where someone tore out a few pages. You can still see traces of words on the next page, slight indentations from writing. It's similar with mobile devices, though not always. In newer models with advanced hardware encryption, data recovery capabilities are more limited. That's why each case requires individual assessment.
In a typical divorce scenario, where the device is accessible and hasn't been completely wiped, it may turn out that for two years one party systematically transferred money to accounts belonging to family members, then invested it in cryptocurrency. Transaction histories, deleted messages, activity logs, depending on the device and its configuration, much of this information can potentially be recovered. However, there are no guarantees. Each situation is unique and requires professional evaluation.
Let's return to our opening scenario - that strange battery situation. When someone finally decides on professional device analysis, sometimes something disturbing is discovered: spyware may be installed on the phone. In business environments where high-value negotiations are taking place, it happens that someone exploits a moment of inattention and installs an application that transmits text messages, emails, or even records phone conversations.
Sounds paranoid? Unfortunately, this happens more often than you think. Especially in situations where the stakes are high, large business transactions, custody disputes, asset divisions, people can cross boundaries that seem impossible. But the worst part is that most people don't even know they're being surveilled. The phone works normally, apps open, everything looks as usual. Only the battery drains slightly faster, the phone sometimes heats up for no reason, and data usage is higher than normal.
In such cases, we use tools for deep analysis of system logs, places where smartphones record every activity, every connection, every background process. It's like a black box in an airplane. Most people don't even know something like this exists in their phone. Modern forensic tools can read these logs and see exactly which apps are running, when they start, and what exactly they're doing, provided the device model and system version allow it.
For example, on iPhone devices, you can extract so-called Apple Unified Logs, which contain detailed system activity history going back several days. We often find apps masquerading under innocent names that are actually advanced surveillance tools. Interestingly, similar forensic tools can detect not only spyware but also traces of intrusion attempts, history of connections to suspicious servers, and even geolocation showing where you were at specific moments. The range of available data depends on privacy settings and device model.
It's not just phones that are treasure troves of information. Take a hypothetical case of a CFO at a mid-sized tech company who discovers that one of the financial directors may be involved in fraud. The company lost a significant sum on "consulting" that never produced any results. Documents are in order, invoices issued. But something doesn't add up.
When approval is finally obtained from management to conduct an internal investigation, often the only starting point is the work laptop. Which, of course, was "accidentally" formatted a week earlier. "Virus" - we hear in such situations. "I had to wipe everything."
Can anything be recovered in such a situation? It depends on many factors. The type of formatting (quick vs. complete), whether the disk was overwritten with new data, what computer model (older Intel Macs have different capabilities than the latest ones with M4 chip), whether FileVault (full disk encryption) was enabled, and whether we have access to the password or recovery key.
In cases where formatting wasn't professionally secured, where older models without advanced hardware encryption were used, or where Time Machine snapshots or APFS snapshots are available, often a significant amount of data can be recovered. It's like erasing chalk from a blackboard, if you look at the right angle and in the right light, sometimes you can see traces of what was written before.
In typical internal investigations, where we have access to the device and can conduct analysis, we often recover emails, browser history, draft documents, activity logs. Modern Mac computers with the APFS system create local snapshots that may contain data from before formatting, provided they weren't deleted. Sometimes we find evidence of regular logins to shell company accounts, draft documents with critical information, or correspondence indicating irregularities.
However, the truth is this: in the case of the latest Mac computers with Apple Silicon chips (M1, M2, M3, M4) that have FileVault enabled and were properly formatted through Recovery Mode - data recovery possibilities are extremely limited or impossible without the password or recovery key. Apple designs these systems precisely to protect data, and does so effectively. That's why quick action and professional situation assessment are so important before traces are irreversibly erased.
One of the most important things people need to understand about modern devices is that they're designed to record a lot of information about their activity. Not because manufacturers want to spy on us, but because it facilitates system operation and problem diagnosis. Your phone needs to remember which apps you recently opened to launch them quickly again. It needs to record certain location data for map apps to function efficiently. It needs to log network connections to diagnose problems.
The problem is that all this information, which is there for your convenience, can also be used in forensic investigation. Or, depending on the situation, can be your evidence in court.
Take a typical divorce proceeding situation where one party suspects the other of infidelity. Often there's no hard evidence, just that feeling that something's wrong. Late returns home, avoiding conversations, phone always face down. During legal proceedings, an attorney may request access to the device as part of discovery. The party agrees, thinking they're safe. After all, they deleted all messages, uninstalled dating apps, cleared history.
But devices often remember more than we think. Depending on phone model, operating system version, and data deletion method, specialized forensic tools can recover varying amounts of information. On older iPhone models (up to iPhone X) using the checkm8 exploit, deep data recovery is possible. On newer models (iPhone 11 and higher) possibilities are more limited, but you can still extract system logs, geolocation data, app information, and sometimes partial app data.
The key is that deleting something the "normal" way often doesn't completely remove it. Data may remain in backups, system logs, app caches, metadata. How much can be recovered? It always depends on the specific situation: device model, software version, deletion method, whether the device was jailbroken, and many other factors. That's why consultation with an expert who can assess real possibilities in a given case is so important.
After reading these scenarios, you might think: "Okay, but will this work in my case?" And that's precisely the most important question. The truth is, every case is different. Forensic analysis capabilities vary dramatically depending on:
- Device model - iPhone 7 has completely different possibilities than iPhone 15
- System version - iOS 14 vs iOS 18, macOS Intel vs Apple Silicon with M4
- Security measures - whether FileVault was enabled, whether there's a passcode, whether Stolen Device Protection is active
- Type of incident - simple file deletion vs professional secure erase
- Timing - data deleted yesterday vs data deleted six months ago
In asset division cases, we're often talking about hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in hidden assets. In business situations - transactions that could ruin a company or individual. In internal investigations - preventing further losses and securing evidence. In cases of suspected surveillance - protecting business confidentiality or personal security.
Sometimes people come to forensic specialists only when the situation is already critical. But there are also those who act proactively. If you're running a business and entering into a large transaction, it's worth ensuring your devices are clean and secure, especially if you suspect someone may be trying to access confidential information. If you're in the middle of a difficult divorce and have justified suspicions about hidden assets, it's better to act quickly, time works against you.
And if you have that uncomfortable feeling that someone's reading your messages before you open them? That your conversations are being monitored? That someone knows too much about your plans? This doesn't have to be paranoia, it could be reality that needs verification.
The best first step? Consultation. An experienced specialist can quickly assess what's realistically possible in your specific situation, which tools will be most effective, and what the chances of success are. Not all cases can be solved - but many can, if you act quickly enough and with the right support.
Professional forensic analysis isn't just about recovering data from devices. It's also about prevention. After discovering that someone was under surveillance or that a digital security breach occurred, securing yourself for the future is equally important.
In high-stakes situations - divorces with significant assets, high-value business transactions, sensitive corporate negotiations - we often recommend not only device analysis but also establishing secure home networks based on modern enterprise-grade solutions. This can include firewalls with Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) that monitor and block suspicious network traffic in real-time before it can cause harm.
Imagine you're conducting negotiations worth tens of millions of dollars. Your home WiFi network, where you work in the evenings, is often secured with a weak password from your ISP's router. Someone parked in front of your home with the right equipment could potentially intercept network traffic. Modern solutions like FortiGate with IPS can detect and block such attempts in real-time, and also log all suspicious activity.
This holistic approach, not just responding to incidents but preventing them, is often the key to long-term digital security.
In a world where everyone has a smartphone and most of us work on computers, digital investigations have become not a luxury but a necessity in certain situations. We're not talking about spying or violating privacy, we're talking about a legal, often court-ordered process of discovering truth in cases that have real consequences for people's lives and businesses.
Can every case be solved? No. Modern devices have increasingly better security, and manufacturers like Apple consistently make unauthorized data access more difficult, which is good for user privacy. But this also means there's no universal solution. Each case requires individual assessment by an expert who knows the current capabilities and limitations of forensic tools.
You may never need this type of service. And honestly - I hope you won't. But if you ever find yourself in a situation where something doesn't add up, where someone is hiding the truth, where your intuition tells you something wrong is happening - it's worth knowing that professional help exists.
Professional forensic analysis isn't just technology. It's also experience in reading logs, understanding context, knowing where to look and how to interpret found data, and above all - honest assessment of what's realistically possible in a given situation. It's the difference between having a scalpel and being able to perform surgery. Tools like Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit, Sumuri RECON ITR, and RECON LAB are powerful in the right hands, but only an expert can tell you whether they'll be effective in your specific case.
