Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices.

iphone 14 lineup
The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media reveals that for all locked iPhones capable of running iOS 17.4 or newer, Cellebrite's status is listed as "In Research," indicating they cannot reliably unlock these devices with their current tools. This limitation likely extends to a significant portion of modern iPhones, as Apple's own data from June shows that 77% of all iPhones and 87% of iPhones introduced in the last four years are running some version of iOS 17.

Interestingly, the documents indicate that Cellebrite recently added support for the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 series running iOS 17.1 to 17.3.1. However, for iPhone 12 and newer models running these same iOS versions, the status is listed as "Coming soon," suggesting Cellebrite's continuing attempts to keep pace with Apple's security advancements.

Another document shows that Cellebrite can break into most Android devices, but not all of them. Cellebrite cannot, for example, brute force a turned-off Google Pixel 6, 7, or 8 to get the users' data.

The revelation comes despite Cellebrite's marketing claims that their Premium service, which offers additional capabilities, can obtain passcodes for "nearly all of today's mobile devices, including the latest iOS and Android versions."

Cellebrite's Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED) is widely used by law enforcement agencies worldwide for extracting data from mobile phones. Cellebrite first garnered significant attention in 2016, when it was believed the company was enlisted to help the FBI break into the ‌iPhone‌ 5c of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook after Apple refused to provide the FBI with tools to unlock the device.

The FBI did not use Cellebrite's services for that particular case, but several US government agencies do regularly work with Cellebrite to unlock iOS devices.

Apple continually introduces improvements to the security of its operating systems in order to keep ahead of companies like Cellebrite that are always searching for flaws and vulnerabilities to exploit in order to access the data on locked iOS devices.

For example, in October 2018 Apple successfully thwarted the "GrayKey" ‌iPhone‌ passcode hack, sold by Atlanta-based company Grayshift, which had also been in use by U.S. law enforcement.

Popular Stories

iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...

Top Rated Comments

centauratlas Avatar
9 months ago
Apple's commitment to continuing to upgrade their security is admirable. The desire of authoritarians to control and monitor everything is continual and Apple's attempts to limit it help everyone. Security theater from some vs actual security on iOS.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
9 months ago

Cellebrite first garnered significant attention in 2016, when it was believed ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/03/23/fbi-israeli-firm-cellebrite-to-unlock-iphone/') the company was enlisted to help the FBI break into the ‌iPhone‌ 5c of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook after Apple refused to provide the FBI with tools to unlock the device.
The FBI waited to call Apple until after they had screwed around with the phone. One would think the F B friggin I would follow chain of custody procedures. The head of the FBI then asked Apple to make a patched version of iOS that bypasses the lock screen that they could install on any phone. Apple refused. Apple offered all the data it had, and if they hadn't messed with it first could have helped more.

Anyway more on topic, there's always the $5 wrench method. If people practice perfect opsec then the phone is locked up tight. But there's almost always an easier way than cracking the phone directly.



Security ('https://xkcd.com/538')

Attachment Image
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
willzyx Avatar
9 months ago

The FBI waited to call Apple until after they had screwed around with the phone. One would think the F B friggin I would follow chain of custody procedures. The head of the FBI then asked Apple to make a patched version of iOS that bypasses the lock screen that they could install on any phone. Apple refused. Apple offered all the data it had, and if they hadn't messed with it first could have helped more.

Anyway more on topic, there's always the $5 wrench method. If people practice perfect opsec then the phone is locked up tight. But there's almost always an easier way than cracking the phone directly.



Security ('https://xkcd.com/538')
I call BS on that. You see the size of the wrench he's holding? There's no way he paid $5 for that. Not with today's economy and COVID chip shortage. That's at least $20.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H2SO4 Avatar
9 months ago
For now..........
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
9 months ago
all these tools yet the EU wants to „protect“ us with those annoying Cookie Banners. All just a front to preach falls safety while actually spying on us in secret anyway.

Also the irony trying to click one of the links in the article:

„This connection is not private“

Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
6787872 Avatar
9 months ago
good. let this morally bankrupt company lose their customers.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)