Russia Allegedly Used A Forensics Platform To Hack An Activist's Phone, Despite Having Its Access Cut Off
Cellebrite claims the hardware predates current sanctions and was used without its consent.
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The Russian government reportedly used the Cellebrite digital forensics platform to hack into the phone of a political activist, despite the Israeli company that makes the software previously canceling its contract with its Russian customers.
An investigation by The University of Toronto's Citizen Lab revealed that Russian authorities used Cellebrite to access the devices of Andrey Pivovarov, the human rights defender and former director of non-profit Open Russia, without his consent. Pivovarov said he also hadn't handed over any relevant passwords for his confiscated iPhone 12 or MacBook.
Pivovarov's devices were not returned to his legal representatives until 2023, when he was serving a prison sentence, two years after they were initially seized. He has since been released and had them returned to him, and first contacted the Citizen Lablast year. The researchers said...
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