MSAB Digital Forensics Glossary
Key Terms and Definitions
Welcome to Our Digital Forensics Glossary — A resource for clear, concise definitions of key terms used in digital forensic investigations. This glossary includes terminology used in the field of smartphone investigations, mobile data extraction, and the analysis of digital evidence from mobile devices.
As mobile phones become central to cybercrime and digital investigations, it’s essential to understand critical concepts such as IMEI, mobile data acquisition, app artifacts, and SIM card analysis. You’ll also find definitions of broader digital forensics terms like hash values, metadata, and chain of custody — all explained in a straightforward, accessible format. Whether you’re a mobile forensics specialist, law enforcement officer, cybersecurity professional, or student, this glossary offers up-to-date explanations to help you navigate the rapidly evolving field of mobile forensics.
Backdoor
A hidden method of bypassing security or authentication in a system, often installed by malware to grant attac […]
Read full termBackup
A copy of digital data stored separately from the original, used for recovery in case of data loss. In digital […]
Read full termBase64 Encoding
A method for converting binary data into ASCII text. Often used in data obfuscation, email attachments, and fo […]
Read full termBFU (Before First Unlock)
Refers to a device state, the device has been turned off and no passcode/password has been entered by the user […]
Read full termBiome
A biome is a collection of variables and settings that have common characteristics due to similar environments […]
Read full termBiometric Unlock Forensics
Biometric unlock forensics is a subdiscipline of mobile forensics that focuses on investigating and analyzing […]
Read full termBIOS (Basic Input/Output System)
Firmware stored on a motherboard chip that initializes hardware during boot and provides runtime services for […]
Read full termBit-by-Bit Copy
An exact duplicate of a storage medium (all bytes copied exactly), also known as a forensic clone or image.
Read full termBitLocker
A full-disk encryption feature built into Microsoft Windows. Forensic investigators may need to bypass or decr […]
Read full termBlockchain Forensics
The application of digital forensics to blockchain and cryptocurrency transactions, including tracing illicit […]
Read full termBluetooth forensics
Bluetooth forensics is a branch of digital forensics that focuses on investigating wireless data transfer and […]
Read full termBoot Loader
A program that loads an operating system when a device is turned on; unlocking a mobile device’s bootloader al […]
Read full termBoot Sector
The section of a storage drive containing code to start the boot process for computers (e.g., Master Boot Reco […]
Read full termBotnet
A network of compromised computers (bots) controlled by an attacker, used together to perform large-scale task […]
Read full termBrick/ed
Term used to indicate a process that has caused a device to malfunction and become nonresponsive. Processes th […]
Read full termBrute Force Attack
A trial-and-error method used to crack passwords or encryption by systematically trying many possible combinat […]
Read full termBSSID (Basic Service Set Identifiers)
The BSSID is the MAC address (Media Access Control address) of a wireless access point (AP) in a Wi-Fi network […]
Read full termBYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
An organizational practice allowing employees to use personal devices (computers, smartphones, etc.) for work […]
Read full termBypass Lock Screen
A method used by Forensic tools such as XRY and XRY Pro allows a user to gain access to a mobile device by byp […]
Read full termByte
A group of 8 bits; a basic unit of data representing a single character in text (e.g., one letter is typically […]
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