Cellebrite tools used in Russia after company said it cut ties
5 reported1 unconfirmed
A new report from The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto found evidence that Russian authorities used a Cellebrite phone hacking tool to break into the iPhone of opposition politician Andrey Pivovarov in June 2021, three months after Cellebrite announced it would stop selling technology to Russian government customers. Cellebrite, an Israeli company with a second headquarters in Virginia, had stated on its website that as of March 2021 it could stop devices from functioning or receiving software updates. The case raises questions about whether Western tech companies can control their tools once sold. Cellebrite’s chief marketing officer David Gee said in an email that the company stopped all sales and services to Russia in March 2021 and that any use of legacy hardware after that is unauthorized. Researchers found forensic evidence on Pivovarov’s phone and a court document detailing the use of Cellebrite UFED to extract data including WhatsApp and Telegram messages. Pivovarov, director of the now defunct opposition group Open Russia, was later sentenced to four years in prison and freed in August 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange.
What’s reported
The Citizen Lab found evidence that Russian authorities used a Cellebrite phone hacking tool to break into the iPhone of Andrey Pivovarov in June 2021.
Cellebrite announced in March 2021 that it would immediately stop selling technology to Russian government customers.
Cellebrite’s chief marketing officer David Gee stated that the company stopped all sales and services to Russia in March 2021 and that any use of legacy hardware after that is unauthorized.
Researchers found forensic evidence on Pivovarov’s phone and a court document showing Russian authorities used Cellebrite UFED to extract WhatsApp and Telegram messages.
Pivovarov was director of the opposition group Open Russia, sentenced to four years in prison, and freed in August 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange.
Open questions
It is unclear why Cellebrite’s stated ability to stop devices from functioning did not prevent the use of its tools in Russia after March 2021.
Key figures
Andrey Pivovarov: Russian opposition politician and human rights dissident, director of Open Russia
David Gee: Chief marketing officer of Cellebrite
Victor Cooper: Spokesperson for Cellebrite
Eitay Mack: Israeli human rights lawyer
John Scott-Railton: Senior researcher at The Citizen Lab
Sources: TechCrunch
