New in Magnet AXIOM 5.4: Improved VICS Exporting
We’re proud to announce the availability of Magnet AXIOM 5.4!
You can upgrade to the latest version within AXIOM or over at the Customer Portal.
With AXIOM 5.4, we’re leveraging the capabilities of the Media Explorer to improve Video Image Classification Standard (VICS) exporting to automatically reduce media file duplication when exporting for agencies such as Project VIC and CAID. Plus, we’ve improved the parsing of HEIC files in AXIOM to further support ICAC investigations. We’ve also updated several mobile messaging and social media artifacts to offer the best insights AXIOM can provide.
If you haven’t tried AXIOM yet, request a free trial here.
Supporting Officer Wellness and ICAC Investigations
To further improve ICAC investigations, the capabilities of Media Explorer have been leveraged to improve Video Image Classification Standard (VICS) exporting. Now officers won’t have to manually de-duplicate images. Media Explorer will automatically reduce media file duplication when generating VICS exports for databases such as Project VIC and the U.K.’s Child Abuse Image Database (CAID).
By improving the ability of AXIOM to parse HEIC files, examiners now have more support for CSAM or media intensive investigations. HEIC is Apple’s proprietary version of the High-Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) and it’s been the default image format since the release of iOS 11 because it offers better compression than JPEG. For ICAC investigations that involve iOS devices, this is a great boost. Don’t forget, that with GrayKey integrated directly into AXIOM, loading iOS extractions into AXIOM is easier than ever
With better parsing for HEIC files and the improvement to VICS exporting, it’s also a great time to review the slate of officer wellness tools available in AXIOM. AXIOM offers image blurring for graded and known CSAM images, hit stacking based on image hash, apply categorization from known hash sets like Project VIC or CAID, automatic muting of video sound, quick thumbnail scrolling for videos in Media Explorer, and the ability to set break reminders.
Read more about media explorer and check out the how-to video with Trey Amick in his blog, “Media Explorer in Magnet AXIOM“.
Magnet Forensics is committed to supporting Officer Wellness and for more insight into the features in AXIOM that supports officer wellness, check out our Officer Wellness page and overview video.
Updated Messaging and Social Media Artifacts
With AXIOM 5.4, we’ve improved the user experience for WhatsApp examinations and reporting by adding the username to the chat bubbles in the preview pane and reports, building on other recent updates such as adding the username to the evidence pane in AXIOM.
We’ve also updated several mobile artifacts, particularly focusing on messaging and social media applications, including Signal, SnapChat, and Wickr.
With the increasing submission of mobile phones to forensics labs and considering a phone isn’t just a storage device—it’s also a remote access point to numerous cloud accounts—it’s important to stay up to date with cloud examinations to take full advantage of messaging and social media artifacts. Only analyzing artifacts on the device excludes some of the data available to examiners.
Be sure to sign up for the upcoming Demystifying the Cloud Webinar Series featuring webinars hosted by Jessica Hyde, Trey Amick, Kim Bradley, and Steve Gemperle to learn more about cloud investigations. The first session is on August 25, reviewing warrant return examinations. Also, read our Demystifying the Cloud blog to learn more about the series and to get a better sense of how cloud evidence can play an important part in your investigations.
And if you’re not sure if you’re taking full advantage of the most up to date iOS mobile artifacts, check out our recent Comparing iOS Logical vs. Full File System Extractions Tips & Tricks webinar by Kim Bradley.
Updated Artifacts
- Android SMS / MMS
- Call Logs
- Facebook Messenger
- Google Hangouts
- Recycle Bin
- Signal
- Skype
- Snapchat
- Wickr
- Telegram
- Zoom
Get Magnet AXIOM 5.4 Today!
We are continually improving AXIOM to make it our most comprehensive digital forensic platform. When every second counts, it’s important that we do what we can to streamline the primary workflow of examiners. We’re excited that the improvements with AXIOM 5.4 can help do exactly this.