Ron. a computer forensics expert, Is Investigating a case involving corporate espionage. He has recovered several mobile computing devices from the…

The key combination #06# is the standardized Man-Machine Interface (MMI) code used globally to display the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) on GSM, UMTS, and LTE mobile devices. Since the Nokia phone is powered on, entering this code into the dialer is a non-invasive, forensically sound first step to quickly identify the unique hardware identifier of the device. This procedure is standard across virtually all manufacturers, including Nokia, and is defined by telecommunication standards.

A. #06#: This is an incorrect sequence of characters and will not execute the command to display the IMEI.
C. #06r: This is not a valid MMI code. The inclusion of the letter 'r' makes the command unrecognizable by the device's firmware.
D. 1MEI#: This is a fabricated code. MMI codes for functions like this do not use alphabetic characters.

1. European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). (2018). Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+); Man-Machine Interface (MMI) of the User Equipment (UE) (3GPP TS 22.030 version 15.0.0 Release 15). ETSI TS 122 030 V15.0.0. Section 6.5.1, "IMEI display," states, "The Mobile Station shall display the IMEI when the user keys in the following control sequence: \#06#".

2. Casey, E. (Ed.). (2009). Handbook of Digital Forensics and Investigation. Academic Press. In Chapter 11, "Mobile Device Forensics," by Andrew Hoog, it is stated on page 378: "The IMEI can be obtained on most GSM phones by typing \#06# into the phone." This text is widely used in university digital forensics curricula.

3. Holt, T. J., & Bossler, A. M. (2016). Cybercrime and Digital Forensics: An Introduction. Routledge. In Chapter 12, "Mobile Device and Smartphone Forensics," the text notes that the IMEI can be retrieved by "typing \#06# into the phone’s keypad" (p. 315). This book is a common resource in criminology and computer science university courses.