SoylentNews

BK [soylentnews.org] writes:

**note** -- from the proof-that-karma-is-a-thing department

According to the New York Post [nypost.com]:

Cellebrite, an Israeli firm that supplies “forensics tools” to agencies around the world, including US law enforcement, appears to have suffered a serious hack. Motherboard claims to have 900GB of Cellebrite data, supplied to it by an anonymous hacker. Among other things, the data reportedly shows that the Israeli firm has been selling its technology to regimes known for their human rights abuses, including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

According to Motherboard [vice.com]:

The breach is the latest chapter in a growing trend of hackers taking matters into their own hands, and stealing information from companies that specialize in surveillance or hacking technologies.

Cellebrite is an Israeli company whose main product, a typically laptop-sized device called the Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED), can rip data from thousands of different models of mobile phones. That data can include SMS messages, emails, call logs, and much more, as long as the UFED user is in physical possession of the phone.

New York Post Again:

Cellebrite is best known for its rumored involvement in helping the FBI crack the San Bernandino shooter’s iPhone, as Apple fought an order to assist through the courts. In addition to helping the FBI in that case, Cellebrite sells forensics devices and software to dozens of US law enforcement agencies and police departments.

Original Submission