Many vendors have begun to incorporate a Python shell into their tool to make scripting with this popular language even more accessible to examiners. Python is popular for many reasons, including FREE access to libraries, its relatively simple scripting language, and ease of use for implementing minor code changes to keep up with changing applications.

If database schemas change in applications, or tables are added or removed in future releases, premade scripts may be rendered ineffective. By making minor changes to Python scripts, examiners can stay ahead of the curve.

As new messaging applications arise, it is common for tools to be written to make the output easy to read and concise for reporting purposes. Commercial tools do a great job at keeping up with the curve, but if there are applications that have not been parsed correctly by your analysis platform, oftentimes there are free tools available for download.

Most forensic researchers make their work available via their personal GitHub repositories. Running the script requires that Python is installed on the processing machine.