Files
mvt/README.md
Donncha Ó Cearbhaill 348b47db35 Add a plugins command to list installed plugins and check updates
Add a "plugins" command to the platform-neutral mvt command. "plugins
list" shows every installed plugin package with its version, where it was
installed from, how many forensic modules it contributes and which
commands it adds. "plugins check-updates" checks for updates immediately,
without waiting for the automatic check, and prints the command which
upgrades a plugin instead of installing anything.

It lives on mvt only. The packages it lists extend mvt-ios and mvt-android
too, but auditing them is not the job of a command which analyses one
platform, and the two platform CLIs should not carry commands which are
not about an acquisition.

The command is registered as a built-in, before any external command, so
that an installed package cannot replace this audit surface.
2026-08-26 13:14:56 +02:00

91 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
Raw Permalink Blame History

This file contains ambiguous Unicode characters
This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.
<p align="center">
<img src="https://docs.mvt.re/en/latest/mvt.png" width="200" />
</p>
# Mobile Verification Toolkit
> [!IMPORTANT]
> We recently merged the "v3" branch. This introduced breaking changes. If you relied on mvt output in other scripts They might have broken. More details: https://github.com/mvt-project/mvt/issues/757
[![](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/mvt)](https://pypi.org/project/mvt/)
[![Documentation Status](https://readthedocs.org/projects/mvt/badge/?version=latest)](https://docs.mvt.re/en/latest/?badge=latest)
[![CI](https://github.com/mvt-project/mvt/actions/workflows/tests.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/mvt-project/mvt/actions/workflows/tests.yml)
[![Downloads](https://pepy.tech/badge/mvt)](https://pepy.tech/project/mvt)
Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) is a collection of utilities to simplify and automate the process of gathering forensic traces helpful to identify a potential compromise of Android and iOS devices.
It has been developed and released by the [Amnesty International Security Lab](https://securitylab.amnesty.org) in July 2021 in the context of the [Pegasus Project](https://forbiddenstories.org/about-the-pegasus-project/) along with [a technical forensic methodology](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2021/07/forensic-methodology-report-how-to-catch-nso-groups-pegasus/). It continues to be maintained by Amnesty International and other contributors.
> **Note**
> MVT is a forensic research tool intended for technologists and investigators. It requires understanding digital forensics and using command-line tools. This is not intended for end-user self-assessment. If you are concerned with the security of your device please seek reputable expert assistance.
>
### Indicators of Compromise
MVT supports using public [indicators of compromise (IOCs)](https://github.com/mvt-project/mvt-indicators) to scan mobile devices for potential traces of targeting or infection by known spyware campaigns. This includes IOCs published by [Amnesty International](https://github.com/AmnestyTech/investigations/) and other research groups.
> **Warning**
> Public indicators of compromise are insufficient to determine that a device is "clean", and not targeted with a particular spyware tool. Reliance on public indicators alone can miss recent forensic traces and give a false sense of security.
>
> Reliable and comprehensive digital forensic support and triage requires access to non-public indicators, research and threat intelligence.
>
>Such support is available to civil society through [Amnesty International's Security Lab](https://securitylab.amnesty.org/get-help/?c=mvt_docs) or through our forensic partnership with [Access Nows Digital Security Helpline](https://www.accessnow.org/help/).
More information about using indicators of compromise with MVT is available in the [documentation](https://docs.mvt.re/en/latest/iocs/).
## Installation
MVT can be installed from sources or from [PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/mvt/) (you will need some dependencies, check the [documentation](https://docs.mvt.re/en/latest/install/)):
```
pip3 install mvt
```
You can also install MVT from PyPI with [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/). First, install uv:
```bash
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
```
Then install MVT as a command-line tool:
```bash
uv tool install mvt
```
For alternative installation options and known issues, please refer to the [documentation](https://docs.mvt.re/en/latest/install/) as well as [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/mvt-project/mvt/issues).
## Usage
MVT provides three commands: `mvt-ios` and `mvt-android` analyse acquisitions from devices of that platform, and `mvt` hosts what belongs to neither: `version`, `completion`, `plugins` and `download-iocs` (`version` and `download-iocs` remain available on the platform commands for now). Running `mvt` on its own shows the installed version, update notices and the available commands. [Check out the documentation to learn how to use them!](https://docs.mvt.re/)
### Shell completion
MVT can generate a shell completion script for Bash, Zsh, and Fish which covers `mvt`, `mvt-ios` and `mvt-android`:
```bash
mvt completion
```
The command prints setup instructions by default. To generate the completion script directly, pass the shell name:
```bash
mvt completion bash
```
MVT only writes completion files or shell configuration when `--install` is passed. See the [command completion documentation](https://docs.mvt.re/en/latest/command_completion/) for details.
Plugin packages extend MVT with additional forensic modules, which run inside
the `check-*` commands, and with top-level commands on `mvt`, `mvt-ios` and
`mvt-android`. See the
[development documentation](https://docs.mvt.re/en/latest/development/) for
writing and installing them, and the
[custom CLI command documentation](https://docs.mvt.re/en/latest/development/custom_commands/)
for the entry points a package registers commands in.
## License
The purpose of MVT is to facilitate the ***consensual forensic analysis*** of devices of those who might be targets of sophisticated mobile spyware attacks, especially members of civil society and marginalized communities. We do not want MVT to enable privacy violations of non-consenting individuals. In order to achieve this, MVT is released under its own license. [Read more here.](https://docs.mvt.re/en/latest/license/)