iCloud Backup
Definition
A daily encrypted snapshot of an iPhone or iPad stored in Apple's cloud. Includes app data the developer marks for backup, device settings, Home Screen layout, iMessage (default), SMS/MMS, ringtones, Apple Watch backup, photos if iCloud Photos is off, Health (encrypted), and Keychain (E2E).
Related terms
- Advanced Data Protection (ADP)
- Apple's opt-in feature since iOS 16.2 (December 2022 in US, global by iOS 16.3) that extends end-to-end encryption to iCloud Backup, iCloud...
- Android Auto Backup
- The Android 6.0+ mechanism that uploads app data to the user's Google Drive automatically (up to 25 MB per app), alongside SMS,...
- BNSS Section 91
- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 Section 91 (successor to CrPC 1973 Section 91) lets a court or officer in charge of a...
- CLOUD Act
- The Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (US, 2018). Clarifies that US service providers must comply with valid US legal process...
- Google Legal Investigations Support
- Google's process for handling law enforcement requests, documented at its transparency report portal. Google distinguishes between emergency disclosure requests (no legal process...
- MLAT
- Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. The formal mechanism for cross-border evidence requests. India has bilateral MLATs with over 40 countries including the US,...
- MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty)
- A bilateral or multilateral treaty framework through which countries agree to provide legal cooperation in criminal investigations, including compelling disclosure of evidence...
- OAuth Token Acquisition
- Cloud-extraction technique where a tool authenticates to the provider using the user's account credentials or a refresh token extracted from the phone,...
- Preservation Letter
- A formal written request to a cloud provider asking it to preserve a specific account's data for a defined period, typically 90...
- Stored Communications Act (SCA)
- Part of the US Electronic Communications Privacy Act (18 U.S.C. 2701-2712) that governs government access to stored electronic communications and data. It...
- TCC.db
- Transparency, Consent and Control database at /var/mobile/Library/TCC/TCC.db on iOS. Records which apps the user has granted access to camera, microphone, photos, contacts,...
Explained in these topics
- Cloud Account ForensicsApple's device backup service that stores a snapshot of an iOS or iPadOS device to Apple's servers, including app data, messages, photos, call logs, and settin...
- Mobile Cloud and Backup Forensics: iCloud and Google DriveA daily encrypted snapshot of an iPhone or iPad stored in Apple's cloud. Includes app data the developer marks for backup, device settings, Home Screen layout,...