HstEx® Version 5.6

Release Notes for HstEx® Version 5.6

We are pleased to announce the release of HstEx® Version 5.6. This update brings you new features and support, ensuring that you have the latest tools at your disposal for effective digital forensic analysis and browser data recovery.


New Features

In this release, we have introduced significant new features and support to enhance your forensic analysis capabilities:

  • Support for Latest Browser Changes: HstEx® now includes support for all the changes present in the latest browsers, keeping you up-to-date with the ever-evolving digital landscape.

  • Maxthon Browser v7 Support: We're excited to introduce support for Maxthon Browser v7 on Android, iOS, Windows and macOS, broadening your ability to recover browsing data on mobile and desktop platforms.

Improvements

We have also implemented important improvements to make your forensic analysis more efficient and effective:

  • Enhanced Mobile Support: Enjoy a more effective forensic recovery experience on Android and iOS with numerous improvements tailored to these platforms.

  • Improved Yandex on Android Chromium-based Simple Cache Recovery: Our enhancements in this area make it easier to recover valuable data from Yandex on Android Chromium-based Simple Cache.

Change Log

The full list of changes can be found here: HstEx® v5.6 Change Log.

Release Notes for NetAnalysis® Version 3.6

Don't forget to review the new features in NetAnalysis®. Release notes and change log can be found here: NetAnalysis v3.6.



HstEx® Version 5.5

Release Notes for HstEx® Version 5.5

We are pleased to announce the release of HstEx® Version 5.5, which includes improved handling of Expert Witness image files as well as improved carving of SQLite database entries. We have also added support for the changes in the latest browsers and made a number of changes to improve the performance of our unique search and recovery routines. You will be pleased with the results as HstEx® is the most comprehensive carver for recovering browser evidence available today.

The following screen shows a sample of some of the artefacts that are available for recovery.


New Features

  • Support for 87 new browser builds and associated data.

Improvements

  • Improved recovery of carved SQLite cell records
  • Improved recovery of Naver Whale on Android downloads entries
  • Improved recovery of Chromium based keyword search term entries
  • Improved recovery of Firefox on Linux history entries
  • Improved recovery of Yandex on Linux cookie entries
  • Improved recovery of Apple Safari cloud tab device entries

Change Log

The full list of changes can be found here: HstEx® v5.5 Change Log.

Release Notes for NetAnalysis® Version 3.5

Don't forget to review the new features in NetAnalysis®. Release notes and change log can be found here: NetAnalysis v3.5.



HstEx® Version 5.4

Release Notes for HstEx® Version 5.4

We are pleased to announce the release of HstEx® Version 5.4, which includes significant updates and improvements to our browser artefact recovery tool.


New Artefacts Recovered

HstEx® Version 5.4 now includes support for the recovery of 96 new artefacts, expanding our capabilities to recover data from a wider range of sources.

Improved Data Verification and Recovery Accuracy

We have implemented improvements to our data verification and recovery accuracy on carved artefacts, ensuring that recovered data is more reliable and accurate than ever before. Our unique Intelli-Carve® engine has been revised and improved.

Improved Recovery of Specific Browser Data Entries

HstEx® Version 5.4 includes improvements to the recovery of Yandex Login Data entries, Firefox on iOS Login entries, Microsoft Edge Collections entries, and Firefox History entries across all platforms. This means that users can now recover these types of data more easily and effectively.

New Browser Support

HstEx® Version 5.4 now supports the recovery of Brave on iOS History entries, Opera on iOS History entries, Opera Crypto Browser on iOS History entries, and Opera GX on iOS History entries, providing our users with more comprehensive coverage of browser artefact recovery. We have also included support for recovering Microsoft Edge Navigation History entries.

UI Improvements

We have improved the Recovery Job user interface by adding a toggle switch on the toolbar to allow selected recovery profiles to be displayed; this makes it much easier to identify which recovery profiles have been selected.


Overall, HstEx® Version 5.4 represents a significant step forward in our efforts to provide the most comprehensive and effective browser artefact recovery tool on the market. We hope that our users will find these updates and improvements useful and we look forward to continuing to evolve and improve HstEx® in future releases.

Change Log

The full list of changes can be found here: HstEx® v5.4 Change Log.

Release Notes for NetAnalysis® Version 3.4

Don't forget to review the new features in NetAnalysis®. Release notes and change log can be found here: NetAnalysis v3.4.



HstEx® Version 5.3

Introduction to HstEx® v5.3

HstEx® version 5.3 adds support for 223 new artefacts. We have improved the recovery of entries from Chromium based Keyword Search Terms and Quota Manager.


Change Log

The full list of changes can be found here: HstEx® v5.3 Change Log.



HstEx® Version 5.2

New Browser Support

HstEx® version 5.2 adds further support for mobile and desktop browsers. We have added new support for:

New Features

  • Mozilla Firefox Logins on Android and iOS

Change Log

The full list of changes can be found here: HstEx® v5.2 Change Log.



HstEx® Version 5.1

Introduction to HstEx® v5.1

HstEx® version 5.1 continues our quest to add further support for mobile browsers. This release adds four new browsers, namely 7 Star Browser, Naver Whale, Opera Mini and Opera Touch. We have also added additional support for existing browsers and added 53 new recovery profiles. For a full list of the changes for this release, see: HstEx® v5.1 Change Log.

New Recovery Profiles

This release has added support for a number of new artefacts. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Safari on iOS State Tab Entries
  • Safari Cloud Tabs Entries
  • Safari Cloud Tab Device
  • Firefox on iOS History
  • Firefox on iOS Bookmarks
  • Firefox on Android History
  • Firefox on Android Bookmarks
  • UC Browser on Android - Encrypted Login Entries


Recovering Zone.Identifier Alternate Data Streams

With this release of HstEx®, we have added the ability to search and recover MFT entries containing resident Zone.Identifier Alternate Data Streams. The Zone.Identifier stream, associated with a download, contains a rich store of properties that may be relevant to an investigation. NetAnalysis® provides an easy way to examine, and perform analysis on these streams. HstEx® allows an easy way to process an entire forensic image (or other source) recovering Zone.Identifier streams contained within live and deleted MFT entries. HstEx® can also recover this data even if the file has been deleted, the volume has been formatted, or the partition deleted.


HstEx Recovering Zone Identifier Data

Change Log

The full list of changes can be found here: HstEx® v5.1 Change Log.



HstEx® Version 5


Introduction

Version 5 is a major release of HstEx® and adds new support for mobile and portable browsers. We have added 124 new recovery profiles in this release and added support for browsers such as Mozilla Firefox on Android, SalamWeb and Samsung Internet browser on Android. The user interface has been completely re-written and adds major improvements and new features in a number of key areas. We have improved the layout of the user interface, with the goal of improving productivity, and added support for light and dark themes.

In combination with NetAnalysis®, both applications represent the most powerful, comprehensive browser forensic analysis suite available. However, don't just take our word for it, take it for a spin and see the powerful features in action.


Adding/Editing Recovery Job

In this release, we have added 124 new data recovery modules. We have also added new toolbar buttons allowing the user to select recovery modules which are supported on the source operating system, or the type of device. This means you will only select the profiles you need for a quick, efficient and comprehensive recovery. You can select from Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android along with Desktop, Mobile, Portable or Gaming devices as well as the most Common options. The Recovery Module grid now allows multiple levels of filtering, searching and sorting.


New Source: Multi-Volume ZIP Archives

We have added support for processing data contained within multi-volume ZIP archives. Anyone familiar with mobile phone analysis will immediately see the benefit of being able to select this file format. Multi-volume ZIP archives are often the output format used by Mobile Phone Forensic Extraction Tools.

Change Log

To review the full list of changes for this release, please see: Change Log v5.0.