Property Lists

Property List files (*.plist) are a widely used data storage format used by Apple software. Most of the system properties are stored in plists, but also, many apps store their configuration in plist-files. The data held within Property is regularly of high evidential value for forensic analysts, so understanding the format is essential for the forensic investigation of Apple mobile devices and computers. Not all of today’s digital forensics tools recover plists properly. Especially for carved or damaged plists, the support is insufficient. So the forensic examiner must understand the principles of this file format. This chapter gives an overview of the plist structure to give the examiner the knowledge to get the most information out of the evidence possible.