Extending iLEAPP Forensic Tool with DJI Mavic Flight Parser

The widespread use of drones, especially DJI models, poses significant challenges in digital forensics, particularly in analyzing encrypted and proprietary flight logs. This study introduces and validates a forensic parser to address these challenges by integrating the Drone Data Parser (DRDP) into the widely used iOS Logs, Events, and Plists Parser (iLEAPP) platform. The main contribution of this research is the integration between DRDP and iLEAPP, as well as the proposal of this integrated method for the unified analysis of DJI Mavic 2 DAT files. Experimental results demonstrate the success and reliability of this integration through a two-stage validation process. First, direct comparisons showed 100% data consistency between the output of the integrated iLEAPP plugin and the standalone DRDP tool, confirming that the integration was successful and maintained the integrity of the evidence. Second, the method demonstrated 99% accuracy when verified against DatCon, an external reference tool, verifying its reliability and forensic validity. By consolidating drone log analysis into a single trusted platform, this method eliminates the need for separate third-party tools. Ultimately, the proposed integration significantly improves workflow efficiency, reporting consistency, and evidence reliability for forensic analysts in drone investigations.