The FBI utilized unreleased Cellebrite software to access the phone of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the identified shooter at a Trump rally in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, where Trump was injured, and a spectator was killed. Initially, the FBI’s attempt to unlock the phone using their existing Cellebrite software failed due to the device being a newer Samsung model. Following this, Cellebrite provided the FBI with technical support and new, still-in-development software. This advanced software enabled the FBI to unlock Crooks’ phone within 40 minutes, aiding in the investigation of his motives.
Cellebrite, a prominent digital forensics company, currently cannot unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, as revealed by leaked documents. This limitation contrasts with their capability to unlock most Android devices. The primary issue with iPhones lies in Apple’s robust security updates, which continually address vulnerabilities that forensics tools like Cellebrite exploit. Consequently, while newer iPhones remain secure against such intrusions, most Android phones, excluding a few models like the Google Pixel 6, 7, and 8 when powered down, are more susceptible to Cellebrite’s methods
FBI Used New Cellebrite Software to Access Trump Shooter’s Phone - Bloomberg (paywall bypass: FBI Used New Cellebrite Software to Access Trump Shooter’s Phone - Bloomberg)
