Hacker uncovers files suggesting Cellebrite used codes from jailbreak tools to defeat iPho...
Cellebrite, the digital forensics company believed to have helped the FBI break the security of the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, may have repurposed other existing cracking tools used for jailbreaking iPhones, according to a new cache of files allegedly sourced from the security firm.
The hacker behind the breach of Cellebrite's servers in January is the same person behind the publication of the new files, reports Motherboard. The cache is said to include files used to gain access to data stored on smartphones, including older iPhones and devices running on Android and from BlackBerry.
The Israeli firm is known for providing a product to law enforcement agencies called the Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED), a unit that can be connected to a smartphone and used to pull a variety of data from it, including text messages, emails, images, and other items. While the tool can bypass security measures in a large number of instances, its usage against iPhones are limited to models using earlier versions of iOS, and can be thwarted by strong encryption schemes.
The unidentified hacker claims the tools were extracted from UFED images found on the 900GB of data in last month's server breach, and was able to bypass encryption used on the files. In the files were a number of directories, named after different smartphone brands, with each folder containing various exploits the tool could employ and access via a Python script.
It is noted by the hacker that the iOS-related code found in the cache is similar to scripts created to jailbreak iPhones, and is publicly-viewable code. Forensic scientist Jonathan Zdziarski advised to the report the iOS files were nearly identical to jailbreaking tools, and included modified versions of Apple firmware altered to break security on older iPhones.
One of the highlighted modifications was to a tool called QuickPwn, where the original jailbreaking project was modified to brute force PINs to unlock a device. The alteration is likely to be for forensic purposes, as Zdziarski suggests such an addition would be unusual for a jailbreaking project to include.
If the released files were used by Cellebrite in the UEFD, Zdziarski suggests "it would indicate they ripped off software verbatim from the jailbreak community and used forensically unsound and experimental software in their supposedly scientific and forensically validated products."
In response, Cellebrite told Motherboard the files were part of a distribution package of the application that it provides to customers, and they "do not include any source code." The spokesperson also claims the company monitors research from the security community, including jailbreaks and new research tools, to "enable platform research."
The hacker's motive to publish the files seems to be an attempt to sway the ongoing debate over encryption, with government agencies wanting to weaken security to make it easier to extract potential evidence from mobile devices.
"The debate around backdoors is not going to go away, rather, it is almost certainly going to get more intense as we lurch toward a more authoritarian society," the hacker writes. "It's important to demonstrate that when you create these tools, they will make it out. History should make that clear."
The hacker behind the breach of Cellebrite's servers in January is the same person behind the publication of the new files, reports Motherboard. The cache is said to include files used to gain access to data stored on smartphones, including older iPhones and devices running on Android and from BlackBerry.
The Israeli firm is known for providing a product to law enforcement agencies called the Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED), a unit that can be connected to a smartphone and used to pull a variety of data from it, including text messages, emails, images, and other items. While the tool can bypass security measures in a large number of instances, its usage against iPhones are limited to models using earlier versions of iOS, and can be thwarted by strong encryption schemes.
The unidentified hacker claims the tools were extracted from UFED images found on the 900GB of data in last month's server breach, and was able to bypass encryption used on the files. In the files were a number of directories, named after different smartphone brands, with each folder containing various exploits the tool could employ and access via a Python script.
It is noted by the hacker that the iOS-related code found in the cache is similar to scripts created to jailbreak iPhones, and is publicly-viewable code. Forensic scientist Jonathan Zdziarski advised to the report the iOS files were nearly identical to jailbreaking tools, and included modified versions of Apple firmware altered to break security on older iPhones.
One of the highlighted modifications was to a tool called QuickPwn, where the original jailbreaking project was modified to brute force PINs to unlock a device. The alteration is likely to be for forensic purposes, as Zdziarski suggests such an addition would be unusual for a jailbreaking project to include.
If the released files were used by Cellebrite in the UEFD, Zdziarski suggests "it would indicate they ripped off software verbatim from the jailbreak community and used forensically unsound and experimental software in their supposedly scientific and forensically validated products."
In response, Cellebrite told Motherboard the files were part of a distribution package of the application that it provides to customers, and they "do not include any source code." The spokesperson also claims the company monitors research from the security community, including jailbreaks and new research tools, to "enable platform research."
The hacker's motive to publish the files seems to be an attempt to sway the ongoing debate over encryption, with government agencies wanting to weaken security to make it easier to extract potential evidence from mobile devices.
"The debate around backdoors is not going to go away, rather, it is almost certainly going to get more intense as we lurch toward a more authoritarian society," the hacker writes. "It's important to demonstrate that when you create these tools, they will make it out. History should make that clear."
Comments
As the article says, this is the perfect example of why, even if a "secure golden key" were possible to create (which it isn't), it would be profoundly irresponsible to do so.
The encouraging thing about this is that they still had to brute force it, they couldn't just crack the encryption.
And, yeah, it makes sense they'd use already available code. So would most people who were trying to crack a phone for nefarious purposes. If the code already exists, no point in trying to write it yourself from scratch.
'Nuff said.
Hopefully, you aren't running the country!!
that is your word...
I follow up on froogyhill said. As a electrical engineer who went to one of the top engineering schools and work in the computer and telecommunication industry for many years as professional engineer and work for some of the top tech company along with startup companies, before going back and getting my Business degree from the top business school, I think I am more than qualified to know what is going on with Tech and how the people trying to run this country can not understand the complexity of technology and the downsides of their short sited decisions. Even people in tech can not see the obvious road a decision is heading down, and people who do not understand tech are far worse at seeing where things are heading. If they do understand they claim ignorance since knowing does not get them what they want.
And you're not a software engineer, you're are programmer, there is a huge different, lots of people can write code but do not understand the math and science behind compute systems. I know people from non science based educations who are web developers and "write code" but that does not make them a software engineer. I tell you what I use to tell programmers, sure you can write code, so can I, but I also can design and build the hardware that your code runs on but that does not make me a software engineer.
WIth above article,it is evidently clear that Cellebrite used regular technique to decrypt it.
I think ,there should be another entity in the mobile forensics market,which can provide nice solutions at acost effective price.
Cellebrite has monopoly over this market and nowadays mobiles possess huge evidential importance.
Programmers,Tech Gurus,Hackers,Infosec experts should come together to create a competition for Cellebrite.
Friends,What do you think about?
Also Kindly provide other working links coz existing links Backdoorz provided on Pastebin are not working.
Thanks in advance.