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Investigating Apple Crash Logs

15/03/2024 Friday

Apple crash logs reports are diagnostic files generated by iOS and macOS devices when an application unexpectedly terminates. These logs provide detailed information about the circumstances leading to the crash, including but not limited to the device model, and operating system version. Crash logs aid in optimizing app performance by highlighting areas where code optimizations or improvements can be made. Overall, Apple crash logs play a crucial role in the continuous improvement of app quality and reliability on iOS and macOS platforms.

Digital Forensics Value of Apple Crash Logs


Apple crash logs reports hold significant value in the field of digital forensics for several reasons. Firstly, they can assist investigators in reconstructing timelines and understanding user interactions leading up to an application crash. Additionally, these logs serve as valuable digital evidence in legal proceedings, containing timestamps, device information, and other metadata crucial for corroborating claims. Moreover, crash logs can help identify potential security breaches or malicious activities on a device by revealing patterns or anomalies indicative of unauthorized access attempts or malware infections.

Location and Structure of Apple Crash Logs Artifacts


Apple Crash Logs artifact can be found at the following location:
*/*.ips
If the bug_type property of the metadata object of any “.ips” file is equal to 309, it means that this file stores a crash log report.

Analyzing Apple Crash Logs Artifacts with ArtiFast


This section will discuss how to use ArtiFast to extract Apple Crash Logsartifact from iOS device's files and what kind of digital forensics insights we can gain from the artifact.

After you have created your case and added evidence for the investigation, at the Artifact Selection phase, you can select Apple Crash Logsartifact:






Once ArtiFast parser plugins complete processing the artifact for analysis, it can be reviewed via “Artifact View” or “Timeline View,” with indexing, filtering, and searching capabilities. Below is a detailed description of Apple Crash LogsApp artifact in ArtiFast.


Apple Crashlogs




For more information or suggestions please contact: kalthoum.karkazan@forensafe.com