Indian Forensic Lab To Get Cellebrite Technology To Unlock Iphone, Other Devices

India’s forensic institute Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has planned to purchase an israeli technology Cellebrite that can unlock iphones and other electronic devices.

Even devices that are equipped with encryption will be vulnerable to a break-in with this technology.

"The institute will possibly possess that technology in a month or so," a senior FSL official said. India will become a global hub for cases where law enforcement is unable to break into phones, he was quoted as saying by Economic Times Thursday.

It is rarely possible to break through IPhones with operating systems iOS 8 and above without this technology.In iPhones, failed attempts to guess the passcode resulted in data deletion or turns data into gibberish.

Earlier the laboratory took help from this Israeli firm for a few cases but now we are buying this entire tool, another FSL official said. Only FSL Gandhinagar will have this technology.

The institute also said that it will provide service of cracking of encrypted devices to other forensic institutes in India with certain fee. However, access to such technology also raises privacy concerns.

FBI and iPhone-maker Apple had fought a public battle over unlocking the iPhone of Syed Farook, who along with his wife had killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, last December. Tim Cook Apple’s Executive officer had in an open letter confirmed his decision to stand for privacy when the FBI demanded Apple help them break into an iPhone.

FBI unlocked the iPhone with the help of Cellebrite, paying the firm a million dollar-plus fee. Now, FSL is in negotiations with the company to obtain this highend decryption technology.