GDF Software for Remote Collection From Phones, Computers and Servers
Remote Collection Any Custodian Can Follow
Shipping phones and laptops across the country, or sending an examiner to every custodian, is slow and costly and tends to land on the one week the custodian cannot part with the device. CompleteDiscovery walks an authorized custodian through a guided collection of a supported phone, tablet, computer or server while the examiner documents every step from the other end. The data lands in a secure GDF dashboard for search, culling and export, and the custodian usually keeps working while it runs.
Browser Based Dashboard, Flexible Licensing, Owned by GDF
Supported Operating Systems and Platforms
The examiner dashboard runs in a browser. Confirm the current supported browsers and any source side utility or operating system requirements for the custodian's device and computer during a walkthrough.
Software Licensing and Deployment Models
Subscription or per device licensing. Contact us for pricing, and we will match the licensing to the number of custodians and the life of the matter.
Engineering Development and Enterprise Support
Developed, supported and owned by Global Digital Forensics, which is why the collection record is built the way an examiner needs it rather than the way a vendor guessed.
The product
What Complete
Remote collection has to be understandable to the custodian and detailed enough for the examiner, and most tools serve one at the expense of the other. CompleteDiscovery uses a guided collection utility so an authorized custodian can connect a supported device, follow instructions written for that device and let the software handle the collection and transfer workflow, without having to understand what a forensic acquisition is.
Collected data is delivered to a secure GDF cloud dashboard for authorized search, culling and export. The collection can be scoped as a fuller acquisition or targeted to supported data such as messages, chats and images, so it takes what the matter needs rather than everything the device holds. Activity is logged throughout, and the collected material is packaged with hash values and chain of custody detail that travel with it into review.
Phones and tablets
Guided remote workflows for supported iPhone, iPad, Android phone and Android tablet collections, with the method confirmed for the exact model and operating system before the custodian begins.
Computers and servers
Remote collection from supported computers and server sources when the environment and the authorization permit it, planned with the same record keeping as a device collection.
Custodian guidance
Device specific setup instructions reduce the number of technical decisions placed on the person holding the device, which is where remote collections most often go wrong.
Full or targeted scope
Configure the collection around the matter, including supported message, chat, image and related data types, so proportionality is built into the collection rather than argued about afterwards.
Secure cloud review
Send the collected data to an authorized GDF dashboard where examiners and counsel search, cull and export it without another transfer.
Collection record
Log the collection activity and package the acquired data with hash values and chain of custody documentation, ready for the examiner who will have to explain it.
Have custodians in several states and a collection deadline? Send the device list to an examiner and we will confirm which can be collected remotely.
Methodology
From Authorization to Reviewed Data in Four Steps
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Prepare
Confirm the authorization, the supported devices, the target data, the collection depth and the plan for communicating with each custodian.
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Guide
Provide the custodian with the collection utility and instructions written for the specific device and the computer being used.
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Acquire
Run the configured collection and transfer the resulting data to the authorized secure workspace, with activity logged as it happens.
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Review
Search, cull, export and reconcile the collected data against the activity log and the chain of custody record.
Operating note
What Determines How Deep a Remote Collection Can Go
Collection depth varies by device model, operating system, encryption state, permissions and the acquisition method available for that combination, and availability can change as device makers release updates. The supported workflow and its limits are documented before the custodian begins, so nobody discovers the boundary after the collection window has closed.
Related Proprietary Software and Forensic Services
Check the Device and the Custodian Before You Schedule
Ask for the current access terms and the supported collection method for the exact device model, operating system, lock state and computer the custodian will use. We confirm the cables, the utility installation, the permissions and the expected effect on the device before the custodian is on the phone with us, so the session runs once and runs clean.
The collection plan identifies the authorized sources, the selected messages or files, the collection depth, the account access involved and any categories that need a different collection method.
The custodian session agrees the setup assistance, a collection window, installation and removal steps, retry behavior and the route for technical help if the custodian gets stuck.
The handoff record preserves the source identifiers, the method and version, the date range, the completed transfers, the hash checks and every collection exception.
The workspace agreement identifies where the evidence is hosted, who can access it, whether external processing is allowed and how retention and deletion work.
A targeted chat handoff should show the conversation range, the attachments present, any gaps and the timezone treatment, and it should never label a partial supported export as a full device image. We review an authorized sample with you before arranging a larger collection.
NIST SP 800-101 Rev. 1, Guidelines on Mobile Device Forensics
Confirm the exact device model and lock state with us first; describe the custodian's phone and computer and we will say whether the remote method reaches what the matter needs.
Talk with an examiner
Plan a Remote Collection Around Your Custodians
Tell us how many custodians, which devices and when the data is needed. A GDF examiner will call or write back promptly to confirm the supported workflow for each device and how the dashboard fits your review.
Global Digital Forensics has practiced since 1992 and GDF owns its software, including the remote collection tools it uses on its own matters.
Reviewed by Joseph Caruso, Founder, CEO and CTO, CISSP. Last reviewed .