There have been instances in the past where criminal cases required authorities to hack into smartphone devices of the accused to gather evidence. One of the biggest cases was back in 2016 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) wanted Apple to let them unlock an iPhone 5C which was recovered from one of the shooters who was involved in the December 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. Apple had refused to help the FBI as it was against the privacy policy to just give away the information. The FBI had later had to rely on a third-party company to assist in unlocking the iPhone.
Devices have, since then, become even tougher when it comes to security to protect users' personal data. However, Israeli forensics firm Cellebrite has reportedly created a tool called the Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED), which is claimed to unlock almost of all of the latest Apple and Android smart devices thanks to its latest update.
The latest version of the device, UFED Premium, can unlock and gain access to Apple devices running iOS 7 to iOS 12.3 as well as Android devices including the Samsung Galaxy S6/S7/S8/S9 as well as models from Motorola, Huawei, LG, and Xiaomi. The company said that the tool will be available to law enforcement agencies on-premise, which means that they will be able to operate the machine themselves. The tool promises access to 3rd party app data, chat conversations, downloaded emails and email attachments, deleted content and more.
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