Vulnerabilities in Device Storage
While messages are encrypted in transit, they are stored in a decrypted form on the user’s device after they are read. WhatsApp saves these messages in an encrypted local database on the phone, and the key to decrypt this database is stored on the device itself. When a user reads their messages, WhatsApp automatically decrypts them using this key.
How Digital Forensics Experts Access Messages
To access WhatsApp messages, digital forensics experts need physical access to the smartphone. Once they have the device, they can use specialized tools to extract the WhatsApp database, including deleted messages that may not be visible to the user.
- Database Decryption: Forensic tools can decrypt the extracted database using the stored encryption key on the device.
- Passcode Bypass: Some government agencies and private firms have technology capable of bypassing phone passcodes, giving them full access to the device and its data.
Even deleted WhatsApp messages can sometimes be recovered. Forensic tools can analyze the device's storage and retrieve data that hasn’t been fully overwritten, allowing for the recovery of older messages.
While WhatsApp’s encryption protects messages during transmission, once they reach the recipient's phone, they can be extracted and read by experts with access to the device and appropriate forensic tools.
