CSI Stick: A thumb drive for searching cellphones

The newest invention to facilitate cellphone searches: The CSI stick.

PR Newswire refers to it as The Portable Cell Phone Forensic Tool:

Paraben Corporation, a digital forensic technology provider, announced today that it has released the new Cell Seizure Investigator Stick (CSI Stick). The CSI Stick is a thumb drive size device that forensically acquires data from cell phones. This portable solution is easy to use with a simple one button command to gather data from the device. Whether it is logical or physical information, the CSI Stick can gather the data. “The Paraben CSI Stick has the potential to be a great tool for street level patrol officers. The functionality of the stick allows street level officers to view media quickly and at the same time the stick maintains a forensic image for full exam by forensic lab personnel,” said Jay Poupard, of the Michigan State Police.

The CSI Stick and its one button interface is the perfect tool for first responders as it gives them the ability to capture all the data off the phone or just grab the imperative data such as SMS messages, phonebooks and call logs, or multimedia messages.

The CSI Stick supports 330 models of Motorola and Samsung phones and is supplied with three adapters for the different connections. Other adapters for popular cell phones will be released later this year increasing the number of models that the CSI Stick will support with LG and Nokia support already in development.

From the manufacturer’s website:

Cell Seizure Investigator Stick:

CSI Stick Product Details

Paraben’s CSI Stick is THE portable cell phone forensic and data gathering tool. Paraben’s CSI Stick opens the world of digital forensics to anyone needing to gather forensic grade data from cell phones. The process is simple:

Select the colored cell phone tip for the cell phone model to be acquired

Plug the portable power adapter into the USB end of the CSI Stick

Plug the CSI Stick into the cell phone

Select the data you wish to extract using the slider switch

– A logical copy gets all available active data (including text and multi-media files)
– The text filter copies all SMS and text messages, phonebooks, and call logs
– The multi-media filter copies all available pictures and movies
– A physical copy gets all memory on the device (Please Note: This process can take many hours to complete)

Push the acquire button and wait for the completion indicator
Plug the USB end of the CSI Stick into a PC to be read by Paraben’s Device Seizure or Device Seizure Lite. Paraben’s CSI Stick acquires data that can only be read and analyzed in Paraben’s Device Seizure or Device Seizure Lite. These advanced forensic analysis tools enable you to view, search, and report on data extracted from handheld devices. The CSI Stick currently supports certain Motorola and Samsung phone models with more manufacturer support coming soon. For a list of supported models, CLICK HERE.

Paraben’s CSI Stick includes everything you need to seize valuable cell phone data in the field.

Blogger News refers to it as “another boon to identity thieves.”

I still don’t get it that cellphones are subject to a search incident. This just flies in the face of all the logic and law of the search incident doctrine.