Imaging smart phones

[Pants]

Been reading a CompTIA Mobility + certification book to brush up on smart phones. One thing that caught my interest was a paragraph about backing up smart phone OS images as part of the backup plan for the company you're supporting. Is backing up phone OS images practical in small businesses? Or are factory resets generally done instead, along with restoring apps/user data from a backup?

What kinds of imaging software can be used to create whole image backups of smart phones? Any after market free stuff?

 

[CompConfig]

We support almost all android phones including one client who wants images saved of the default configuration. These phones are rooted which makes the process easy with titanium backup.

 

[LifelineIT]

TiBu doesn't create an image, it creates a backup of apps+data. It's not foolprooof and restoration rarely if ever works 100%.

The software way to make a true image is via recovery, something like TWRP or CWM or Philz, you can create an encrypted image of the entire device that can later be dumped/explored/analyzed/restored.

There are lots of hardware options that will do it, though. Police have started carrying lots of them, and the Supreme Court has basically said that if the phone is unlocked (no pin/etc), then you have no expectation of privacy, and they can plug it and dump its contents w/o your permission. Many phones (/cough iOS) can still be dumped w/o an unlock thus Google's whole-device-encryption. Sorry, off topic.

If you're just looking to backup data, there are all KINDS of ways to do it software wise on the phone. If you're looking for true imaging, you need root+recovery and/or a hardware solution. I don't know of any businesses who provide rooted phones though, as it gives the end user the ability to make an end-run around inbuilt/aftermarket security features.

 

[doubleohalex]

To piggy back off of what Lifeline said. The most reliable option to image mobile devices is using the hardware options available. However, these devices can get pretty pricey! They are developed for the use by Police and other law enforcement agencies as well as other Data Acquisition and forensic firms. Any product used in the litigation field tends be expensive!

Interestingly enough, the devices you see Verizon, Best Buy and other mobile carriers use to transfer peoples contacts and data to new phones are usually the same device widely used for Forensic mobile device imaging.

 

[CompConfig]

A nandroid backup is an image and it does work all of the time.