The Hidden Realms of Router Apps: Forensic Analysis of TP-Link Tether and ASUS Router

The Hidden Realms of Router Apps: Forensic Analysis of TP-Link Tether and ASUS Router

연구 분야: Analysis

학회: International Conference on Digital Forensics and Cyber Crime

The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) has dramatically increased the number and complexity of devices connected to global networks. As essential components of this interconnected environment, routers play a pivotal role in managing data flow, making them significant focal points for cybersecurity and digital forensics. These applications, which are widely used with millions of downloads, offer a unique vantage point to observe network interactions, user behaviors, and potential security breaches. The current methods explore recovering information directly from the router itself. However, there is no focus on mobile management and monitoring applications for the routers. This study aims to assess the artifacts left by these applications, evaluate their security frameworks, and understand their contributions to forensic science. By exploring how routers integrate with mobile applications and the IoT ecosystem, the research seeks to uncover how these technologies can either obstruct or aid forensic investigations. In this study, we investigated various aspects of IoT device connectivity, application security protocols, and data management practices to evaluate their impact on the robustness of digital forensic methodologies. This research particularly investigates the two most popular Android router mobile applications: TP-Link Tether and Asus Router. Our findings show that the TP-Link Tether application utilizes encryption throughout the application content, unlike ASUS Router application. The artifacts recovered from the Asus Router application include information regarding the connected devices and the router model.