Identifying and Analyzing Vault Apps

Seth Barrett, Alex Salontai, Rajon Bardhan, Gokila Dorai, Esra Akbas, Patrick Woodell

Abstract: Privacy concerns have elevated the popularity of vault apps, especially those available in alternative gray market app stores. Designed to conceal media, vault apps often mimic familiar tools such as calculators, serving as decoys. However, while vault apps enhance user privacy, they present significant challenges to digital forensic practitioners. In particular, it is difficult to access encrypted and deleted data in sensitive and contraband documents encountered in digital forensic investigations.