Cellebrite can't crack iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later

By William Gallagher

Leaked documents claim that Cellebrite software used by law enforcement agencies cannot unlock any more recent models than 2018's iPhone XR if they've been updated to iOS 17.4.

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Cellebrite has always gone to great lengths to keep secret how it can unlock iPhones, and specifically asks its law enforcement customers not to divulge the information. However, while its methods and tools have not been disclosed, an April 2024 document listing which iPhones it can unlock has been leaked.

According to 404 Media, two documents were obtained from a Cellebrite customer and sent anonymously to the publication, with one covering iPhones, one for Android. The documents include a matrix listing all phone types, ranges of iOS updates, and how they can be unlocked.

Significant sections of the model/iOS matrix are listed as either "Coming Soon," or "in Research." Specifically, the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 ranges are listed as "Coming soon" from iOS 17.1 to iOS 17.3.1.

All of them are currently listed as being able to be unlocked up to iOS 17.0.3.

Section of a leaked document showing Cellebrite's capabilities (Source: 404 Media)

As of the document's April 2024 date, these model iPhones cannot yet be unlocked if they are running iOS 17.4 or later:

Each of these is listed as being "in research." While that may change -- and may already have changed -- it means that at that point, none of these iPhones could be unlocked by Cellebrite.

A clear omission in the list is the iPhone 15 Plus, but this data comes from a segment of the document so that that model could be listed separately. It's unlikely that the model is vulnerable when the rest of the iPhone 15 range is not.

So, at present, it appears that Cellebrite can only unlock iPhones that are older than five years -- if users have not updated to iOS 17.4 or later. In February 2024, it was reported that 76% of active iPhones were on the initial iOS 17 release, while 20% were on iOS 16, and 4% on older versions.

Apple released iOS 17.4 in March 2024. It was followed in May 2024 by iOS 17.5.