The FBI recently utilized an advanced version of Cellebrite to unlock the phone of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter involved in an incident targeting former President Donald Trump, according to a report from Bloomberg.
Here are some key points from the case:
– The FBI struggled to access the shooter’s phone following the attack and turned to Cellebrite for assistance.
– Cellebrite, known for its digital intelligence solutions, provided the FBI with unreleased technology to unlock Crooks’ phone.
– The FBI needed to extract data from the phone to understand the motives behind the shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania.
– Despite having a license for Cellebrite’s software, it was ineffective on Crooks’ newer Samsung model running on Android.
– With additional technical support from Cellebrite’s federal team, the FBI successfully unlocked Crooks’ phone within 40 minutes of receiving updated software.
Cellebrite, a publicly traded company on Nasdaq, generates about 20% of its public sector revenue from federal clients. In the first quarter of 2024, they reported an annual recurring revenue of $89.6 million and have contributed to over 5 million cases globally.
While Cellebrite has seen success in assisting law enforcement agencies, it also faces criticism from privacy advocates who argue that its technology could be misused by foreign governments against activists.
Stay tuned for more updates on telecommunications technology and advancements.