In a major win for US law enforcement, Israeli cyber forensics firm, Cellebrite, which is a major government contractor, claims to have found a way to break into any iPhone in the market. The company says that it can get around the security of devices running from iOS 5 to iOS 11.
The company is allegedly actively advertising to law enforcement and private forensics from across the globe.
This reportedly includes the iPhone X, which Forbes reported had been successfully breached by the Department of Homeland Security in November 2017 with suspected involvement of Cellebrite technology.
The reporter was able to dig up a warrant for the same, which notes that the department’s Cellebrite specialist performed a “forensic extraction” in December, although the exact method of unlocking the iPhone is not mentioned.
Apple has repeatedly refused to help law enforcement agencies break into iPhones, stating the need its customers’ privacy. This decision has often led to clashes between the two.
In the past, there have been various cases when law enforcement called upon Apple to provide a way to unlock the iPhones to access necessary information, even going so far as to obtain a court order to help disable to PIN feature. However, Apple has always refused.
If Cellebrite has indeed found a way to hack into iPhones, it could lead to a major change in their interactions.