Touch Screen Lexicon Forensics (TextHarvester / WaitList.dat)

By Barnaby Skeggs

Since the release of Windows 8, and the ‘Metro’ interface, touch screen input has been implemented in a rapidly rising number of Windows devices including Microsoft Surface Pro/Book, 2-in-1s, convertible laptops and tablets. Microsoft has catered for this trend, implementing conversion between touch/pen handwriting to computer text in software such as OneNote. In this paper I will detail my research into the forensic artefact ‘Waitlist.dat’, which I believe to be associated with this functionality.

I identified the ‘WaitList.dat’ artefact while investigating a Windows 8.1 PC for the presence of a known email. I was provided with a copy of this email, and part of the investigation involved identifying whether or not this email ever existed on the custodian’s computer. After processing the .PST and .OST mailbox archives on the PC, I did not identify the existence of the email.

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