{"id":1097,"date":"2016-07-09T15:20:05","date_gmt":"2016-07-09T09:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mailxaminer.com\/blog\/?p=1097"},"modified":"2025-05-23T12:59:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T07:29:06","slug":"spicebird-email-forensics-search-for-evidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mailxaminer.com\/blog\/spicebird-email-forensics-search-for-evidence\/","title":{"rendered":"Spicebird Email Forensics – Search for Evidence"},"content":{"rendered":"
In today\u2019s world, the computer technology is playing an important role in everyone\u2019s life. Since its usage is increasing therefore, the computer crimes are also increasing day-by-day like unauthorized intrusion, intellectual theft, financial fraud, etc. To stabilize all these computer-based crimes, Computer Forensics plays a major role. It involves the analysis of digital information for the usage of resolving criminal or administrative cases.<\/div>\n
Most of the proofs are gathered from the emails, which are stored on the user\u2019s hard drive. In the field of computer forensics, mainly email services are used as the source of evidence that is mainly in MBOX file format. MBOX supports various email applications such as Thunderbird, Opera Mail, Entourage, etc. One such desktop-based email application is Spicebird. In this article, we will illustrate the possible solution and way to analyze the Spicebird Emails for finding Evidences. The goal of an email investigator is to find the crime that was committed. There exists various evidence, which helps investigators to acquire the dot and nail the criminal.<\/div>\n

Analysis of Spicebird<\/h2>\n
The Forensics of local mailbox plays a major role in investigation. Many forensic searches are performed in a way to examine the crime execution, the specialist make analysis of it. Spicebird was a freeware email application that manages all the information.<\/div>\n

Data storage in Spicebird<\/h3>\n
The storage of data in Spicebird are namely as MBOX. The MBOX includes UNIX mailbox format, which stores various mails in one file. The default location for the storage of Spicebird data in the system:<\/div>\n

\"1\"<\/p>\n

As all the messages are saved in ImapMail folder, then all the subfolders like trash, spam, drafts, all mails and their .msf files of Gmail account, exist inside the Gmail.sbd. The files with no file extension are the MBOX files however; MSF files represent the inbox of MBOX file. It is also known as Mail summary file. Even one can also store the Inbox and Inbox.msf file in ImapMail folder. However, if emails are imported from any other email application, then it gets store in local folder as mentioned:<\/div>\n

\"2\"
\nHere the email messages are saved in MBOX file format along with its respective indexes saved in MSF.<\/p>\n

Requirement for Spicebird Investigation<\/h2>\n
Spicebird is an open source email application with all the necessary features. As it is free to utilize so, it is used worldwide. Therefore, the requirement for forensics has come forward as an issue of concern. Forensic investigation for Spicebird email application is useful getting the necessary proofs, which are important in finding the real criminals.<\/div>\n
However, in a manner of doing investigation it is important for a researcher to have all the mandatory information. For this, a deep level of knowledge about Spicebird is required for an investigator. However, an investigator faces various challenges such as:<\/div>\n