Key facts
- Russian authorities allegedly used Cellebrite's phone-hacking tools on opposition politician Andrey Pivovarov in June 2021.
- Cellebrite had announced it would cease sales and services to the Russian Federation in March 2021.
- Researchers at The Citizen Lab found evidence of Cellebrite UFED use on Pivovarov's devices.
- A court document detailed the Russian government's use of Cellebrite UFED to extract data from Pivovarov's phone.
- Cellebrite stated that any use of legacy hardware in Russia after March 2021 is unauthorized.
Russian authorities allegedly used technology from the Israeli forensics firm Cellebrite to hack into the phone of prominent opposition politician Andrei Pivovarov in June 2021. This occurred months after Cellebrite announced it had ceased all sales and services to Russian government agencies in March 2021. Researchers at The Citizen Lab found forensic evidence indicating the use of Cellebrite's UFED tool on Pivovarov's devices, which was confirmed by a Russian government document provided during his prosecution. The tools were used to extract information about his contacts and personal life, potentially putting colleagues at risk and contributing to a criminal case against him. Cellebrite stated that any use of legacy hardware in Russia after March 2021 is unauthorized and would operate without their support, but the incident highlights challenges in controlling surveillance technology after sale. Human rights lawyer Eitay Mack argued that Cellebrite never dismantled tools sold to Russia, and that software could be used even with dated licenses. John Scott-Railton of Citizen Lab suggested Cellebrite should stop selling to autocratic states and remotely disable their tech after credible reports of abuse.