Government contractor attempts to buy 'Graykey' iPhone hacking tool from journalists

In a particularly unusual situation, a contractor for the United States government reportedly tried to purchase digital forensics technology from a group of journalists.

The contractor in question, FSR Consulting LLC, which does business as Cirrus Systems, sent out an email inquiring about pricing for Magnet Forensics' Graykey, a tool primarily used by law enforcement agencies and digital forensics experts. With the tool, it's possible to bypass the encryption and security measures of both Android and iOS devices.

Law enforcement officials typically use Graykey during criminal investigations, where there is a need to access private information such as messages, photos, app data, and metadata. The software itself is not available to the general public or the private sector, as per the Magnet Forensics website.

While it makes sense that a government contractor, one that reportedly works with agencies such as the US Air Force and Navy, would need access to software like Graykey, it's beyond unusual for such an entity to try and purchase it from journalists. Cirrus Systems allegedly sent such an email to 404Media, addressed to the "Sales Team."

The message, in some parts, fits the mold of a stereotypical spam email, even containing some unusual phrasing. "I would be grateful if you provide us with the best/ lowest price quote for the following items for Federal's demand," the email reads.

The government contractor was reportedly looking for a total of four Graykey licenses and included a detailed list of required capabilities for the tool. Among other things, Cirrus Systems wanted the tool to have "full forensic acquisition capability for the latest generations of iOS as implemented on the latest iPhone (iPhone 16 at this time) cellular telephones."

According to the alleged email, the end user of the software was meant to be Washington Headquarters Services, an agency that provides multiple services for the Department of Defense. The WHS provides, among other things, human resources, personnel security, resource management, and research services to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Graykey is used by various law enforcement agencies.

Cirrus Systems works with multiple other government agencies, as can be seen on the contractor's website. The list includes the Department of Justice, Department of Commerce, USDA, as well as multiple state-level agencies.

Despite the absurdity of the situation, a government contractor attempting to buy high-level forensics software from journalists, there might be a reason for it. The same publication that was contacted published details on Graykey and its capabilities back in November 2024.

It's possible that someone representing or posing as Cirrus Systems attempted to reach out, believing that journalists from the publication had access to Graykey. Logically, a government contractor could easily send a purchase-related inquiry to Magnet Forensics, the company behind Graykey, as the company specifically deals with government-affiliated entities and not the private sector.

Graykey was developed by the secretive company Grayshift, and is now owned by Magnet Forensics — a Canadian company, based in Ontario, that sells its services to government agencies in the United States and elsewhere around the world. Graykey, along with other digital forensics tools such as Cellebrite, are part of a constant cat and mouse game with Apple.

Apple's goal is opposed to those of digital forensics companies dealing with law enforcement. While Apple wants to prevent unauthorized individuals and groups from gaining access to iPhone users' private data, cyber forensics tools such as Graykey are specifically created to break those security measures.

Over the years, agencies such as the FBI have requested that so-called backdoors be implemented in Apple products, something which would give them unprecedented access to user data. UK agencies made a similar request in February 2025.

Apple obviously denies such requests, and continues to issue security updates with the intent of protecting user data and privacy. The latest iOS 18.3.1 update, for instance, fixed a vulnerability that was actively being exploited.