Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Maybe because of things like this?

>A US Department of Justice test of the CelleBrite UFED used by Michigan police found the device could grab all of the photos and video off of an iPhone within one-and-a-half minutes. The device works with 3000 different phone models and can even defeat password protections.

>"Complete extraction of existing, hidden, and deleted phone data, including call history, text messages, contacts, images, and geotags," a CelleBrite brochure explains regarding the device's capabilities. "The Physical Analyzer allows visualization of both existing and deleted locations on Google Earth. In addition, location information from GPS devices and image geotags can be mapped on Google Maps."




Do you have references for those claims?



There's a lot of marketing hype in here. There are a lot of mobile device collection tools and none of them fully collect every device out there.

Also, collecting a 64GB i<device> over USB will take at least 24 minutes. (You don't really just want the photos, do you.) That makes for a long traffic stop.


24 minutes is a long traffic stop? Have you never been pulled over for speeding? That's a positively snappy traffic stop...

Also, what the hell are you doing turning over your phone to police officers during traffic stops......


Yes, I have. And been on my way in less than 15 minutes.

There are several reasons that one might turn over one's phone, all well documented in the media. The primary two are:

1) Voluntary cooperation with a request 2) Search incident to arrest

(Obligatory WTF on downvoting: I point out reasonable information and a technical challenge with doing this in the field based on personal experience as a forensic examiner, and I get downvoted?)


1) Never volunteer your property to be searched. That's just common sense. 2) Well that's hardly a traffic stop anymore. They're pretty free to take their time at that point.

(I didn't downvote you)


and can even defeat password protections.

yes, with access to a plist file from iTunes

[credit to morganpyne http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2465752]




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: