Why it matters: The FBI has revealed that it took just two days after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump for it to break into the phone of shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks. The agency likely achieved this using hacking tools such as those from Cellebrite. The Israeli company’s products are widely used by law enforcement agencies to unlock phones and extract their data.
The FBI said that field agents in Pennsylvania, where Trump’s rally took place, tried and failed to break into Crooks’ phone, so it was sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia.
The speed at which the feds were able to unlock Crooks’ phone, which was presumably locked using passwords and/or biometric authentication, illustrates just how easily agencies can break into our devices and access their content – even when it’s been encrypted.
The FBI never revealed the make or model of Crooks’ handset. The press release adds that there have been searches of his residence and vehicle, and FBI technical specialists are continuing to analyze his electronic devices, suggesting the agency has more than just his phone.
The FBI also said it is working through digital media tips that include photos and videos taken at the scene.
Cellebrite made headlines in 2016 when it was widely believed that its technology was used to break into the iPhone 5c belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the two perpetrators of a terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. This was after Apple had refused a judge’s order to help the FBI unlock the phone. Cupertino explained that doing so would require building a version of iOS that bypasses security in a way that would create a backdoor.
In 2021, it was reported that the outside party who helped the FBI access the phone wasn’t Cellebrite but an Australian security firm called Azimuth Security, which used a Lightning port exploit to gain access. Former FBI director James Comey said unlocking the phone cost $1.3 million, though a senator later said the cost was $900,000.
Another company that provides mobile device extraction tools is Grayshift. Its GrayKey device is a popular tool among law enforcement agencies, and the company recently announced that the Magnet GrayKey has “full support” for Apple iOS 17, Samsung Galaxy S24 Devices, and Pixel 6 and 7 devices.”