"Specifically, it has emerged that Cellebrite's forensic extraction tools were used on his Samsung phone while it was in police custody following his arrest in July 2025. The phone was returned to him nearly two months later, in September, at which point Mwangi found that the phone was no longer password-protected and could be unlocked without requiring a password. It's been assessed with high confidence that Cellebrite's technology was used on the phone on or around July 20 and July 21, 2025."
"The latest findings follow a separate report released last month, in which the researchers said officials in Jordan likely used Cellebrite to extract information from the mobile phones of activists and human rights defenders who had been critical of Israel and spoke out in support of Palestinians in Gaza. The devices were seized by Jordanian authorities during detentions, arrests, and interrogations, and subsequently returned to them. The documented incidents took place between late 2023 and mid-2025, the Citizen Lab said."
Research found indicators that Kenyan authorities used Cellebrite's commercial forensic extraction tools to break into the phone of Boniface Mwangi, a Kenyan pro-democracy activist planning to run for president in 2027. The tools were used on his Samsung phone while it was in police custody following his July 2025 arrest. The phone was returned in September nearly two months later and was no longer password-protected. Assessment with high confidence places Cellebrite's use on or around July 20–21, 2025. Such use could have enabled full extraction of messages, files, financial information, passwords, and other sensitive material. Similar extractions were documented in Jordan between late 2023 and mid-2025.
Read at The Hacker News
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