Trump’s killer’s smartphone, which was cracked within just two days, is said to be a “new” Samsung cell phone with the Android operating system. Bloomberg reports this, citing people familiar with the investigation. The cell phone was cracked in just 40 minutes using Cellebrite software.
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It is being told that this is the new software version of the Israeli company. Bloomberg report. Accordingly, the day after the attack, FBI agents attempted unsuccessfully to unlock the cell phone using their existing Cellebrite tools.
The FBI then reportedly sought additional assistance from Cellebrite. Within a few hours, the Israeli company provided the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia with additional assistance and a new software version that is still in development. The FBI was able to access the shooter’s cell phone in just 40 minutes.
It’s unclear how the new Cellebrite software ultimately gave US authorities access to the cell phones. One possibility is brute force attacks: security mechanisms that temporarily lock down cell phones after several incorrect PIN or password entries. The software then automatically tries different combinations. While PINs can be guessed relatively quickly, passwords can take considerably longer.
Access to mobile phones in just two days
The fact that the FBI gained access to the killer’s cell phone just two days after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump was a surprise given previous lengthy attempts: In previous cases, the FBI sometimes needed months to unlock suspects’ cell phones. In several cases, the US security agency even asked the cell phone manufacturer for help in cracking the device. US companies Apple and Google always rejected it.
The Israeli company Cellebrite works with many authorities around the world, including Germany. Cellebrite says it only provides its tools to governments in legitimate cases. But the software has the potential for abuse. In 2019 it became known that Cellebrite software was being offered on eBay by unknown people. This meant that private individuals could also get hold of Cellebrite software.
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