Cellebrite UFED is a world-standard data extraction platform used for mobile device digital forensics. It performs logical, file system and physical extraction from iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and older feature phones. In Turkey it is used at the General Directorate of Security Cyber Crime Combat, the Gendarmerie KOM, MASAK and accredited private laboratories.

TL;DR

  • UFED = Universal Forensic Extraction Device, Cellebrite DI Ltd (Israel-based, Nasdaq: CLBT).
  • Three extraction levels: Logical, File System, Physical (Full).
  • Supported platforms: iOS, Android, KaiOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, older feature phones, drones, GPS, IoT.
  • In Turkey it is sold through an authorized distributor; an End User Certificate (EUC) is mandatory.
  • The license is annual and user-based; training and certification (CCO, CCPA, CCME) is a separate process.

Detailed answer

What Cellebrite UFED does

UFED connects to the target mobile device via the computer it runs on (UFED Touch 2, UFED Ruggedized or the UFED 4PC software) and extracts data in the following categories:

  • Call records, SMS, MMS, instant messages (WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Threema, Wickr).
  • Contacts, calendar, notes.
  • Photos, videos, audio recordings, EXIF metadata, GPS location traces.
  • Browser history, bookmarks, session cookies.
  • Application databases (SQLite), keychain (iOS), accounts.db (Android).
  • Deleted data (scanning of unallocated blocks).
  • Cloud account tokens (with Cellebrite Premium).

Three extraction levels

Level What it extracts Device state Forensic value
Logical User-visible files (contacts, messages, photos) On and unlocked Low (limited scope)
File System The entire user + application file system On and unlocked or bypassed Medium-high
Physical (Full) A raw flash memory image, including deleted areas Bootloader/exploit required Highest

On modern iOS devices (iOS 16+) Physical extraction is limited and requires Cellebrite Premium or the Advanced Services service. On Android, the BFU (Before First Unlock) and AFU (After First Unlock) states yield different results.

How the extracted data is reported

After UFED extraction, the file is opened with Cellebrite Reader or Physical Analyzer. The analysis output:

  • UFDR (Universal Forensic Data Report) single-file format.
  • HTML, PDF, Excel report options.
  • Automatic hash chain (MD5 + SHA-256).
  • Timeline (chronological event chain) view.
  • Finding flagging, tagging, shareable mini-report.

DSET places the extraction taken with UFED inside an ISO 27037 methodology template. For the report format: /en/blog/adli-bilisim-raporu-kac-sayfa-cmk-67-standart.

User institutions in Turkey

Since the Cellebrite customer list is confidential, the institutions that can be confirmed through official sources:

  • General Directorate of Security, Cyber Crime Combat Department. Digital forensics laboratories set up in provincial directorates.
  • Gendarmerie General Command Criminal Department (JKDB). In Ankara and regional centers.
  • Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK). In financial crime investigations.
  • Council of Forensic Medicine, IT Crimes Specialization Department. Istanbul-based.
  • TUBITAK BILGEM Cyber Security Institute. Research and forensic analysis.
  • Accredited private laboratories. Laboratories, including DSET, that have applied or are applying for Turkish Accreditation Agency (TURKAK) ISO 17025.

The list of these institutions may change from year to year; the current status should be confirmed from the Cellebrite Turkey authorized distributor or the institutions' public tender announcements.

License and training process

The UFED purchase and use process consists of 5 steps:

  1. End User Certificate (EUC). Since it is a product subject to export control, who the end user is and for what purpose they will use it is committed. Cellebrite has published an official policy (2021) limiting the sale of the product to regimes involving human rights violations.
  2. Annual license. UFED 4PC, UFED Touch and Physical Analyzer are licensed separately. When the license is not renewed, new device support and software updates are cut off.
  3. Training. Cellebrite Certified Operator (CCO), Cellebrite Certified Physical Analyst (CCPA), Cellebrite Certified Mobile Examiner (CCME) certifications.
  4. Field use. Every extraction is logged, the hash is recorded, and the timestamp is taken as UTC.
  5. Accreditation (optional). Private laboratories increase court acceptance with TURKAK ISO 17025 accreditation.

UFED's alternatives

Tool Manufacturer Strength
Magnet AXIOM Magnet Forensics (Canada) Integrated cloud + mobile analysis
Oxygen Forensic Detective Oxygen Forensics (US) Broad drone, IoT support
MSAB XRY MSAB (Sweden) Widespread in Europe, GDPR-compliant marketing
Belkasoft Evidence Center X Belkasoft (Lithuania) Low cost, RAM analysis
Elcomsoft iOS Forensic Toolkit Elcomsoft (Russia) Deep extraction specific to iOS

DSET uses UFED as the main mobile extraction platform and Magnet AXIOM as the correlation and cloud analysis layer.

Legal framework

  • CMK 116-119. The seizure and examination of a mobile device is done by a judge's order.
  • CMK 134. Search, copying, and seizure in computer (including mobile device) records.
  • KVKK 12. Protection of personal data processed during the digital forensics process.
  • Law No. 5651. Correlation of access provider logs with mobile extraction.

For the steps of handling a mobile device within the incident response flow: /rehber/siber-olay-mudahale-playbook-nist-800-61-checklist. For the data controller's KVKK Article 12 obligation: /rehber/kvkk-72-saat-veri-ihlali-bildirim-sablonu.

FAQ

Can UFED unlock a locked phone?

For some models, yes. On older iPhones (iPhone 8 and earlier) and many Android models, password bypass is possible with Cellebrite Advanced Services or Premium. On newer iOS models (iOS 17+) there is only limited support via the Cellebrite Premium service.

Can WhatsApp messages be recovered?

Yes. UFED extracts the WhatsApp database (msgstore.db) from phones in the AFU state. Some deleted messages can be recovered via SQLite WAL and unallocated area scanning.

Is there a Turkish-made alternative to Cellebrite?

Development efforts are underway within ULAKBIL, ASELSAN and TUBITAK BILGEM; these are not yet at the UFED scale as publicly available commercial products. Public institutions are directed to local alternatives.

Is evidence obtained with Cellebrite accepted in court?

When the hash chain and methodology are reported correctly, yes. The Court of Cassation has accepted UFED extraction in many decisions; in the rejected examples there was a lack of a write-blocker or a hash mismatch.

Can a UFED license be obtained individually?

No. Due to the EUC requirement, only authorized institutions, accredited laboratories and approved companies can purchase it. Individual user sales are not made.

DSET Mobile Digital Forensics Laboratory Hacettepe Teknokent, Beytepe, Ankara 20+ years of court experience · ISO 27037 methodology Phone: +90 536 662 38 09 · Email: [email protected] Cellebrite UFED + Magnet AXIOM + Oxygen Detective multi-platform analysis.