{"id":4243,"date":"2018-06-07T11:44:45","date_gmt":"2018-06-07T15:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/?p=4243"},"modified":"2024-12-11T18:24:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T18:24:55","slug":"forensic-analysis-instant-messengers-desktop-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/software\/forensic-analysis-instant-messengers-desktop-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"Instant Messenger Desktop App Forensics : Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber"},"content":{"rendered":"

The most popular instant messengers are Telegram, WhatsApp, and Viber. These platforms have both mobile and desktop applications. Today we will look at the types of data an examiner can detect during computer forensics<\/a><\/strong> analysis of the desktop versions of Telegram, WhatsApp, and Viber.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/span>Telegram<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

Telegram is a cloud-based applications. All chats are in the cloud. In part, chats can be found on mobile devices.<\/p>\n

Telegram files (desktop Application) can be found by the way (Windows 8\/10): \/ Users \/% User profile% \/ AppData \/ Roaming \/ Telegram \/ Telegram Desktop<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Telegram subfolders<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In this folder are:<\/p>\n

Executable file – Telegram.exe<\/p>\n

Log file \u2013 log.txt<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Fragment of the log.txt file<\/p>\n

The subfolder D877F783D5D3EF8C contains files.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Files in the subfolder D877F783D5D3EF8C<\/p>\n

Probably, these files are temporary files of the Telegram desktop Application. Identify their contents failed. These files are probably encrypted.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

All these files have the header 54 44 46 24 21 4A 0F.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span>WhatsApp<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

WhatsApp stores chats on members. New chat messages are stored in the WhatsApp cloud and can be retrieved from there.<\/p>\n

The WhatsApp (desktop Application) files can be found on the path (Windows 8\/10): \/ Users \/% User profile% \/ AppData \/ Roaming \/ WhatsApp<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

WhatsApp subfolders<\/p>\n

NOTE: The log file of WhatsApp installation is located on the path \/ Users \/% User profile% \/ AppData \/ Local \/ WhatsApp and has the name SquirrelSetup.log<\/p>\n

The subfolder databases contains on a SQLite file – Databases.db. But this file does not contain contacts or chats.<\/p>\n

Other subfolders contain temporary files of the WhatsApp desktop Application.<\/p>\n

The most interesting is the subfolder Cache.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Files in the subfolder Cache<\/p>\n

The file data_2 contains avatars of the members.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Avatars<\/p>\n

and links to the members’ accounts (including phone numbers of the members)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The remaining files in the Cache subfolder can be images, videos, documents, which members exchange in chats. Probably, these files are encrypted. As a rule, in these files, in addition to the encrypted content, you can find the same links:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/span>Viber<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

Viber stores chats on devices members. New chat messages are stored in the Viber cloud and can be retrieved from there.<\/p>\n

You can find the Viber files (desktop Application) by the path (Windows 8\/10): \/ Users \/% User profile% \/ AppData \/ Roaming \/ ViberPC \/<\/p>\n

Where the name of one of the subfolder is the phone number of the owner of this Viber account.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In folder ViberPC there is a file config.db which contains tables<\/p>\n

Accounts:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

CommonSettings:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In the subfolder with a name that is the same as the phone number of the owner of the Viber account, there are:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The file data.db<\/strong>.
\nProbably the file contains the auxiliary data necessary for the correct operation of this Instant Messenger.<\/p>\n

The viber.db<\/strong> file, which contains Viber Calls, Viber Chat Messages, Viber Contacts (this information can be extracted with AXIOM (Magnet Forensics) or Belkasoft Evidence Center (Belkasoft) .When examining the viber.db file with SQLite Viewer, from the following additional information can be extracted:<\/p>\n

– additional information about the settings of the ViberPC program;
\n– information about downloaded and uploaded files;
\n-chat info;
\n-recovered chats;
\n-version of the Instant Messenger;
\n-etc.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The data types extracted from the viber.db file with AXIOM<\/p>\n

In the subfolder Avatars are avatars of Viber’s members.<\/p>\n

In the subfolder Backgrounds are background images.<\/p>\n

The Thumbnails subfolder contains thumbnails of images that were downloaded and uploaded by Viber’s members.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Instant Messengers Developers declare that chats are partially or completely stored on devices members. However, this statement is not true for Telegram Desktop Application and WhatsApp Desktop Application. An examiner is unable to remove chats, or decrypt the encrypted temporary files of the applications.<\/p>\n

When analyzing the WhatsApp Desktop Application, an examiner can extract avatars and phone numbers from the WhatsApp’s members.<\/p>\n

When analyzing Viber Desktop Application an examiner can extract Viber Calls, Viber Chat Messages, Viber Contacts, avatars and media cache. With deep analysis of viber.db with a SQLite Viewer tool, additional information can be extracted.<\/p>\n

Happy forensicating!<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span>About the authors<\/span><\/h2>\n

Oleg Skulkin<\/a><\/strong>, GCFA, MCFE, ACE, is a DFIR enthusional (enthusiast + professional),\u00a0Windows Forensics Cookbook<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Practical Mobile Forensics<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0co-author.<\/p>\n

Igor Mikhaylov<\/a><\/strong>, MCFE, EnCE, ACE, OSFCE, is a digital forensic examiner with more than 20 years of experience and\u00a0Mobile Forensics Cookbook<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0author.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The most popular instant messengers are Telegram, WhatsApp, and Viber. These platforms have both mobile and desktop applications.…","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":3764,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4243","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-software","8":"cs-entry"},"yoast_head":"\nForensic analysis of instant messenger desktop applications<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn what forensic examiners can extract from Telegram, WhatsApp, and Viber desktop applications, including chats, contacts, avatars, call logs, and cached data.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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Sobiecki","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/viktor-sobiecki_avatar-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/viktor-sobiecki_avatar-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/viktor-sobiecki_avatar-96x96.jpg","caption":"Viktor Sobiecki"},"description":"Dr. Viktor Sobiecki currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Digital Forensics Corporation, where responsibilities span the leadership of advanced cybersecurity initiatives, data breach incident responses, and corporate strategic planning. Professional career has been driven by the intersection of innovation and practical application, particularly in the domains of cybersecurity and cyber crime investigations. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science and has contributed extensively to academic and industry advancements through publications, patents, and technological solutions addressing complex real-world challenges. As a professional with over 25 years of experience in the fields of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and digital forensics his career spans roles in academic research, software development, corporate leadership, and expert consulting, giving me a comprehensive understanding of the technical, strategic, and practical dimensions of projects. Expertise spans a wide range of technical domains, including: \u2022 Data Breach Incident Response: Managing immediate responses to cybersecurity crises, including the containment and mitigation of threats \u2022 Corporate Strategy Development: Designing long-term strategies to enhance organizational resilience against emerging cyber threats. \u2022 Expert Testimony: Providing legal and technical expertise in high-profile cybersecurity cases. \u2022 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Designing and implementing algorithms for data analysis, pattern recognition, and anomaly detection. \u2022 Network Security and Data Integrity: Developing solutions to protect critical systems from cyber threats, including encryption protocols and intrusion detection systems. \u2022 Cloud Computing and Hybrid Infrastructures: Creating scalable, resilient architectures for data storage, processing, and security.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/viktor-sobiecki\/"],"honorificPrefix":"Dr","jobTitle":"Chief Technology Officer (CTO)","worksFor":"Digital Forensics Corporation","url":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/author\/visor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4243"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16008,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4243\/revisions\/16008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.digitalforensics.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}