Russian police using Israeli tech to breach protester’s phones — reports

Russian authorities are using Israeli technology to breach the phones of anti-government protesters, Channel 12 reports, citing Russian media.

The Petach Tikva-based Cellebrite company is named as the group allegedly being used by Russian police.

In June, Cellebrite — which specializes in helping law enforcement agencies unlock cellphones — announced it has found a way to break into any iPhone ever made, as well as many Android phones. It was reportedly the company the FBI used in 2016 to hack into the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter after Apple refused the US government’s request to build a backdoor into its famously secure operating system.

Russian police detained over 800 people at an opposition gathering in Moscow on Saturday, as authorities upped the pressure on top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny by launching a criminal probe into his anti-graft group.

Crowds walked along the capital’s central boulevards in a protest “stroll” over the refusal by officials to let opposition candidates run in September polls for city parliament seats — a local issue that has turned into a political crisis.

Most of those candidates and opposition leaders, including Navalny, are being held by police following a protest rally last weekend, in which 1,400 demonstrators were detained — one of the biggest crackdowns in years.

— With AFP