Extraction Device

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Court Rulings

Most court rulings require a search warrant before information is collected, so the use of an extraction device may render information inadmissible. A solution could be to keep the phone in custody until a search warrant is granted, then use the extraction device to get data.

Is Extraction Device Use Constitutional?

Forensic Police Tool For Extracting Cell Phone Data

Extraction DeviceThe Extraction Device, manufactured by the company Cellebrite, is a new law enforcement tool used by police officers to copy data found in cellphones, smartphones, and other handheld devices. Because the extraction devices plug directly into phone ports, they can bypass a lot of the password protection commonly found on phones. This data can include contact lists, phone numbers, text messages, photos, video, GPS Data (including where you've been) and the people who you've called. The models created by Cellebrite, like the UFED Physical Pro, can also recover hidden and deleted data from smarpthones, which could uncover illegal activities or browsing habits. All this data can be downloaded onto conventional memory devices and decoded through special software.

What kind of phones can be cracked and decrypted by extraction devices? The answer may surprise you, though if you have been following the NSA leaks then you should be surprised by nothing. Motorola, Nokia, Blackberry, LG, and HTC phones can all be cracked by extraction devices. If you are one of those smug people who laughed confidently because you did not see Apple in the list, then consider yourself served because iOS devices are easily cracked as well. Ditto for those Windows phones. Even if you have a weird off-brand Chinese Chipset phone, they have a decryption device for that as well. It is almost enough to make you give up crime and go straight.

What kind of information can you get from one of these devices? For one, data you thought was deleted is easily recovered. Everywhere you have gone, thanks to mapping services. Your Tom-Tom is also a target, and will give the police a convenient trail of all the places you've gone, like you were Billy from the Family Circus. All the phone calls you've made, your passwords (which can be used on other devices) and your whole contact list are now in the possession of the police, so you are going to look like the guy who snitched when your known associates get taken down. All that and your text messages, internet history, and even what silly apps you've been using.

Notes and Special Information

Special note: If you buy extraction tools, you should know that using them without a person's consent could be seen as an invasion of privacy or information theft. As an individual, you should be proactive in clearing out your private information and other cached data as quickly as possible. For example, a famous iPhone hack was able to show every location someone visited in the previous few months. This means that spouses, lawyers, and private investigators could probably hack your phone to get the same data in seconds, using a ruse where your phone may not even be out of your site. Sometimes an extraction device may be thwarted by programming the default operation for what happens when a USB device is plugged in.