S3:E11 // Analyzing an app’s lifecycle

As we wrap up season 3 of Mobile Unpacked, let's take a look at our biggest artifact 'wish list' in investigations and how they can be our own holiday presents in our cases. In this episode we'll explore the core components of 12 of our favorite artifacts that deserve their own time in the spotlight.

In digital investigations, time isn’t just a factor — it’s the framework that holds the story together. In this episode, A Tale of Two Timelines, our hosts explore how timeline analysis serves as the backbone of both Incident Response and Digital Forensics. From the urgency of containment to the precision of post-mortem analysis, timelines illuminate what happened, when, and how. On the IR side, Doug demonstrates a streamlined workflow that transforms triage collections into unified, event-driven timelines — automating artifact extraction and correlation to reveal patterns of compromise and recovery. Then, shifting to the forensic lens, Jeff highlights advanced case analysis workflows that visualize activity chronologies, isolate pivotal moments, and export structured data for cross-case correlation. The result: a single cohesive view that bridges rapid response and in-depth examination.   By combining real-time event triage with deep forensic correlation, A Tale of Two Timelines shows how investigators can achieve a clearer picture, faster — and gain a decisive investigative edge.

Knowing what happened on a device is only half the story—proving who was behind the activity is critical.