The FBI recently leveraged advanced technology to unlock the phone of Thomas Matthew Crooks, identified as the shooter of former President Donald Trump. This incident took place at a rally in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, where Trump suffered an ear injury, and a spectator was killed.
Initially, the FBI faced challenges in accessing Crooks’ phone. However, within a day, they announced successful access to the device, a Samsung smartphone. This development sparked speculation that the FBI might have utilized tools like Grayshift’s GrayKey or Cellebrite UFED.
According to a Bloomberg report, the FBI enlisted the assistance of Cellebrite, an Israeli digital intelligence company that provides technology to various US federal agencies. Sources close to the investigation, who requested anonymity, informed Bloomberg that the FBI needed the phone data to understand Crooks’ motives for the shooting.
CREDIT: Gene J. Puskar/AP
Despite the local FBI bureau in Pittsburgh having a license for Cellebrite software, it proved ineffective on Crooks’ newer Samsung device running Android. Consequently, the FBI sought help from Cellebrite’s federal team, which collaborates with law enforcement and government agencies.
Cellebrite’s team quickly provided the FBI with additional technical support and new, cutting-edge software from its headquarters in Quantico, Virginia. This enabled the FBI to unlock the phone within 40 minutes.
This rapid timeline contrasts with the variable durations—ranging from seconds to years—typically required to unlock a phone, depending on the complexity of the passcode. While the exact method used by the FBI remains undisclosed, Cellebrite’s software can disable a phone’s built-in security mechanisms that prevent repeated passcode attempts, allowing for the generation of millions of potential codes to gain entry.
Cellebrite, a company listed on the Nasdaq stock market, reports that around 20% of its public sector work involves federal customers. The company posted annual recurring revenue of $89.6 million for the first quarter of 2024 and has contributed to over 5 million cases. Cellebrite aims to expand its business with US federal customers, as stated in a recent announcement.
Despite its success, Cellebrite has faced criticism from privacy advocates who argue that such technology constitutes unethical hacking and has been misused by foreign governments against activists. In response, Cellebrite informed federal regulators in 2021 that it had ceased operations in certain regions, including China and Hong Kong, due to human rights concerns. The company maintains that its software is used solely to unlock seized phones in legally sanctioned cases and is never employed for surveillance purposes.
This incident underscores the ongoing tension between law enforcement’s need for access to digital evidence and the privacy concerns associated with the use of advanced unlocking technologies.
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