Forensic Investigation of Google Assistant
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Forensic Investigation of Google Assistant Alex Akinbi1 · Thomas Berry1 Received: 1 April 2020 / Accepted: 3 August 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Google Nest devices have seen a rise in demand especially with Google’s huge advantage in search engine results and a complex ecosystem that consists of a range of companion devices and compatible mobile applications integrated and interacting with its virtual assistant, Google Assistant. This study undertakes the forensics extraction and analysis of client-centric and cloud-native data remnants left behind on Android smartphones by the Google Home and Google Assistant apps used to control a Google Nest device. We identified the main database and file system storage location central to the Google Assistant ecosystem. From our analysis, we show forensic artifacts of interest associated with user account information, the chronology and copies of past voice conversations exchanged, and record of deleted data. The findings from this study describe forensic artifacts that could assist forensic investigators and can facilitate a criminal investigation. Keywords Mobile forensics · Internet of Things forensics · Android forensics · Google Assistant · Google Home · Google Home Mini
Introduction The Internet of Things (IoT) industry has recently focused on creating internet-connected devices, which is predicted to be used in almost 40% of homes in the UK by 2022 [1]. This growing market has encouraged the proliferation and development of software applications and gadgets that enable remote monitoring and management of several IoT devices, especially in smart homes. It has created significant interest amongst digital forensic researchers and a paradigm shift towards a smart-home IoT forensic ecosystem and the evidence these devices produce [2]. Recently, there has been a huge demand by consumers in smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, which feature a voice-activated digital assistant that allows users to control home automation hubs and other IoT devices using voice controls [3]. Google’s voice-activated digital assistant like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Microsoft’s Cortana is called Google Assistant. As a digital virtual assistant cloud * Alex Akinbi [email protected] Thomas Berry [email protected] 1
Department of Computer Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
service, Google Assistant interacts with various compatible devices, native Google applications, and some third-party applications by converting the voice requests to native communication protocols [4]. Google Nest devices (both the Nest and Google Home range) by default are compatible with Google Assistant. Google Assistant offers voice commands and conversational interactions that allow users to conduct internet voice searches, perform voice-automated device control, play music, connect with friends and family through video calls and video messages, etc. after using “OK Google” or “Hey, Google” wake words. A single Google Nest device can generate
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