Indigenous Chip-Off technique to retrieve encrypted data

Scientists at Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Sector 36, have developed an indigenous chip-off technique for helping the investigative agencies to produce credible evidences against criminals in the trial courts.

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Using the technique, data has been retrieved from a smart cell phone which had been locked with the finger prints of a person who had died by suicide.

The technique is divided in six parts including opening the device using heat and air combination to remove its back and front covers, battery screws, other connections, etc. to retrieve the motherboard.

The NAND flash memory is located on the retrieved motherboard/circuit board, using appropriate heat (disordering) and chemicals (adhesive removal), the memory chip is physically removed.

The removed chip is cleaned and/or reballed if necessary and the forensic image/dump of the chip is then acquired by using an imaging software and an adapter connecting it to the PC. The further analysis is conducted with the standard softwares at the laboratory.

The technique, developed by scientists Akhlesh Kumar, Bhushan Ghode and Khevna Maniar at CFSL-36, was published along with a case study in the International Journal of Engineering Science and Research Technology (IJESRT).