Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) is a collection of utilities to simplify and automate the process of gathering forensic traces helpful to identify a potential compromise of Android and iOS devices.
It has been developed and released by the [Amnesty International Security Lab](https://www.amnesty.org/en/tech/) in July 2021 in the context of the [Pegasus project](https://forbiddenstories.org/about-the-pegasus-project/) along with [a technical forensic methodology and forensic evidences](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2021/07/forensic-methodology-report-how-to-catch-nso-groups-pegasus/).
*Warning*: this tool has been released as a forensic tool for a technical audience. Using it requires some technical skills such as understanding basics of forensic analysis and using command line tools.
Once the image is built, can now be tested using, what will prompt a bash terminal:
```bash
docker run -it mvt
```
If this is correct, close the container (`exit`) and it is time to connect the Android device to analyse to the USB port using the development mode as explained in the official docs [here](https://developer.android.com/studio/debug/dev-options).
To have visibility of the USB, the container WILL need to have access to the USB which is not activated in Docker by default.
This can be done using the `--privileged` parameter when launching Docker as follows and mounting the USB as a volume.
```bash
docker run -it --privileged -v /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb mvt
Note that using the `--privileged` parameter is insecure for a number of reasons explained in detail [here](https://blog.trailofbits.com/2019/07/19/understanding-docker-container-escapes/) as it gives access to the whole system.
As a brief explanation, the `-v <host_path>:<docker_path>` syntax maps the host path to the dockerized path to allow the connection.
Modern versions of Docker have a `--device` option where you can specify the exact USB to mount without the `--privileged` option:
```bash
docker run -it --device=/dev/<your_usb_port> mvt
```
The Docker image contains the dependencies fixed to perform a forensic analysis on an Android device using MVT, including ADB (reachable using `adb` as expected) and ABE (installed under `/opt/abe` and reachable using `abe` from the command line) which is ready to be launched using the installed version of Java.
Thus, the forensic analyst can proceed as expected to grab the evidences needed and performs the required tests.
The purpose of MVT is to facilitate the ***consensual forensic analysis*** of devices of those who might be targets of sophisticated mobile spyware attacks, especially members of civil society and marginalized communities. We do not want MVT to enable privacy violations of non-consenting individuals. Therefore, the goal of this license is to prohibit the use of MVT (and any other software licensed the same) for the purpose of *adversarial forensics*.
In order to achieve this, MVT is released under an adaptation of [Mozilla Public License v2.0](https://www.mozilla.org/MPL). This modified license includes a new clause 3.0, "Consensual Use Restriction" which permits the use of the licensed software (and any *"Larger Work"* derived from it) exclusively with the explicit consent of the person/s whose data is being extracted and/or analysed (*"Data Owner"*).
[Read the LICENSE](https://github.com/mvt-project/mvt/blob/main/LICENSE)
