The Israeli technology company Cellebrite has blocked Serbia\u2019s access to its products after discovering that Serbian police and security services had used its technology to spy on journalists and activists, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The newspaper states that Serbia\u2019s security services installed spyware after unlocking smartphones, abusing Cellebrite\u2019s technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe evaluate the countries we do business with,\u201d the company announced, stating that Serbia would no longer have access to its products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Haaretz reported in December 2024, researchers from Amnesty Tech, the technology branch of the international human rights organization Amnesty International (AI), discovered that Serbia had used Cellebrite\u2019s technology to bypass smartphone security mechanisms and infect them with malware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cellebrite sells digital forensic technology to law enforcement agencies, including tools capable of hacking locked or even powered-off smartphones to extract confidential and encrypted data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similar to spyware, Cellebrite\u2019s platforms exploit security vulnerabilities in smartphones, known as \u201cexploits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, unlike spyware, which can be installed remotely, Cellebrite\u2019s technology requires a physical connection to the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, Cellebrite\u2019s software can only unlock and extract data from a phone but does not enable ongoing surveillance after disconnection, nor can it track the device once returned to the user, Haaretz explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI\u2019s report, however, revealed that Serbia\u2019s security agency managed to install its own malicious spyware after unlocking smartphones, misusing Cellebrite\u2019s technology not only for data extraction but also for actively infecting devices with surveillance programs. Haaretz adds that under President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107, media, the judiciary, and civil society in Serbia have been targeted by the regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On February 27, Cellebrite stated that \u201cafter reviewing the allegations presented in Amnesty\u2019s report, we have taken precise steps to investigate each claim in accordance with our ethical and integrity policies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe found it appropriate at this time to suspend the use of our products for certain clients. We evaluate the countries we do business with,\u201d the company added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cellebrite has thousands of clients in the U.S. and law enforcement agencies worldwide. However, over the years, its hacking technologies have ended up in the hands of organizations that repress human rights activists, minorities, and the LGBTQ community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Haaretz has repeatedly reported that Cellebrite\u2019s clients included repressive regimes under sanctions, such as Belarus, China and Hong Kong, Uganda, Venezuela, Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh\u2019s notorious RAB execution unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n