Trump shooter used Android phone from Samsung; cracked by Cellebrite in 40 minutes - 9to5Mac

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the FBI's successful unlocking of the phone belonging to Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who opened fire at a Trump rally. It provides details on the phone model, the FBI's unlocking process, and the information found on the phone.

🙋 Q&A

[01] FBI's Unlocking of Crooks' Phone

1. What phone model did the shooter use?

• The shooter used a "newer Samsung model that runs Android's operating system".

2. How did the FBI initially try to unlock the phone?

• The FBI's initial attempt to unlock the phone on Sunday involved using Cellebrite software to bypass or identify the phone's passcode.

3. How did the FBI eventually unlock the phone?

• When the initial effort failed, the FBI turned directly to Cellebrite for help. Cellebrite then provided the FBI with "additional technical support and new software that was still being developed".
• With the new software from Cellebrite, the FBI was subsequently able to unlock the phone in 40 minutes.

4. What information was found on the phone?

• The phone contained "photos of the former Republican president, President Joe Biden and other officials".
• The FBI also reportedly found searches for "information about major depressive disorder" on the phone.

[02] Cellebrite's Unlocking Capabilities

1. What is the current status of Cellebrite's ability to unlock iPhones?

• A leak on Thursday revealed that Cellebrite can't unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 and later.
• As of right now, Cellebrite also cannot currently break into most iPhones running iOS 17.1 to 17.3.1, though hardware vulnerabilities in the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 mean those are exceptions.