Cellebrite
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Signal hacked Cellebrite's phone hacking software used by law enforcement
After the cellphone hacking company Cellebrite said it had figured out a way to access the secure messaging app Signal, Signal said that it's turning the tables.
Phone-hacking device used by police sells on eBay for $100
A phone-hacking device that law enforcement officials use to extract data from phones is popping up on eBay for as little as $100. Federal agencies in the US and elsewhere, including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, typically spend up to $15,000 on current models of Cellebrite's Universal Forensic Extraction Device, though older versions are available on the secondary market.
India wants the tech used to unlock the San Bernardino iPhone
Israeli forensics company Cellebrite helped the FBI access the contents of a suspect's iPhone 5c following the shooting in San Bernardino last year. Now India is in talks to buy the company's tech that will allow it to unlock phones and other devices. The Economic Times reports that India's Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) is purchasing the tool and should have it in hand within a month. What's more, the FSL says India will be "a global hub for cases where law enforcement is unable to break into phones." In other words, the India government will lend a hand to other countries that need to crack encrypted devices.
New York bill would have police scan your phone after a crash
It may be relatively difficult for police to catch people texting while driving, but one proposed New York law would make it near-impossible to avoid detection if that distraction leads to a crash. A new state Senate bill would let police submit you to a "textalyzer" (basically, a device that scans for recent phone activity) after an accident -- you'd actually lose your license if you refused. Just as the Breathalyzer impacted drunk driving, the device would ideally help identify the cause of a crash and hold people accountable for dangerous behavior behind the wheel.
FBI leans on forensic software maker to crack terrorist iPhone
When the Department of Justice and FBI said they'd found another way to infiltrate San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone 5c without asking Apple to weaken its security, they raised a big question: just who was this "third party" they were talking about? We might have a good idea after today. Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth claims that the FBI is getting help from CelleBrite, an Israeli firm that specializes in phone-oriented forensic software, to extract data from Farook's phone. If the company manages to crack the contents of the device, it won't have any reason to pester Apple... about this particular iPhone, anyway.
Police claim to have cracked extra-secure BlackBerry phones
BlackBerry smartphones have secure messaging as a matter of course, but for some that isn't enough: there are custom models that are even more secure thanks to PGP-encrypted mail. However, it seems that these locked down models aren't quite as safe as you'd think. The Netherlands Forensic Institute has confirmed a recent report that it's capable of scooping up encrypted data from PGP-equipped BlackBerry devices. It's not discussing the exact techniques involved, but it's relying on a tool from CelleBrite to get the job done. One possibility is that investigators are guessing the password based on a memory dump, although that normally requires yanking a memory chip off the phone's motherboard.
HTC Incredible spotted in Verizon's system (again)
We'd already had some indication that the HTC Incredible could be landing on Verizon sooner rather than later, and it looks like we now have yet more photographic evidence to back that up. According to an Android Phones forum member, that shot above is of a genuine CelleBrite machine that Verizon uses to transfer information from one phone to another, and it quite clearly lists the HTC Incredible among some of the other usual suspects. What it doesn't show, obviously, is a date of any sort, but it does back up earlier reports that Verizon already has the phone stocked in their warehouse, if not their stores. Update: Need even more proof? Here you go. Thanks, Ebby!
