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Threat Actor

Cellebrite

cellebrite · israel_private_sector_mobile_forensics_cyber_mercenary · active since 1999

Cellebrite (canonical company naming, Cellebrite DI Ltd legal entity, originally founded 1999 as Cellebrite Mobile Synchronization, headquartered Petach Tikva Israel) is an Israeli mobile-forensics company, a subsidiary of Japanese Sun Corporation (~45% ownership since 2007 acquisition) that IPO'd on NASDAQ August 31, 2021 post-NSO-Pegasus-controversies.

the 6th cyber-mercenary cluster in this curated corpus following NSO + Candiru + Intellexa + Paragon + QuaDream (Israeli) + DarkMatter (UAE), with cluster-defining mobile-forensics physical-device-extraction mission profile operationally complementary to rather than overlapping with sibling clusters' remote zero-click compromise capability (per The Intercept: "The company doesn't help governments remotely hack into phones for real-time surveillance, as the NSO Group, another Israeli firm, reportedly does.

Cellebrite focuses only on forensics, collecting data and artifacts already created and stored on phones. Physical access to the phone is required for their work")

flagship UFED Universal Forensic Extraction Device product line since 2007 (UFED + UFED Touch + UFED 4PC + UFED Pro + UFED Premium 2019 with iOS 12.3+ and Android Galaxy S9 unlock capability claims + UFED Ultimate variants) + Physical Analyzer parsing/indexing software.

comprehensive device data extraction (contacts + locations + deleted messages + calls + app-collected data + GPS device data + SIM card + iOS keychain decryption + Apple T2 security chip Mac extraction, only tool on market capability per AFSC)

~50% global digital forensics market share per CEO Yossi Carmil + ~150 countries customer base + 8,000+ supported mobile phone models.

massive US federal customer portfolio per AFSC canonical contract documentation: ICE 213 contracts $48.6M+ 2008-April 2025 (largest customer + "digital border wall" warrantless border searches) + CBP $6.1M+ 2009-2024 + DOJ 839 contracts $15.4M+ as of August 2024 + FBI contracts since September 2009 + DEA + Secret Service + Navy + 4 state Departments of Public Safety + 7+ California cities + multi-state police departments.

multiple documented authoritarian-regime + human-rights controversies including Myanmar Reuters journalists Rohingya massacre coverage 2018 (Cellebrite ceased Myanmar sales 2018 post-scandal) + Hong Kong pro-democracy protests 2019 + Botswana journalist Dikologang April 2020 + Bangladesh RAB extrajudicial killings 2021 (Cellebrite ceased RAB sales) + Belarus + Russia political opposition (Lyubov Sobol affair - Jerusalem activist Israeli Supreme Court lawsuit March 2021) + Serbia + NoviSpy spyware coordination per Amnesty International December 2024 report (Serbian police used Cellebrite UFED to bypass security on journalist Slaviša Milanov + environmental activists then installed NoviSpy domestic spyware, Cellebrite halted Serbia sales February 2025); signature Signal Moxie Marlinspike April 2021 vulnerability disclosure detailing arbitrary code execution vulnerabilities in UFED + Physical Analyzer (outdated 2012 FFmpeg DLL files lacking 100+ subsequent security updates + Windows installer packages extracted from Apple iTunes signed by Apple raising legal concerns)

Apple-FBI San Bernardino 2016 controversy boosted reputation (though Cellebrite involvement remained unconfirmed)

2024 high-profile use case Trump assassination attempt Crooks phone unlock in 40 minutes per Drop Site News reporting; Cellebrite Federal Solutions subsidiary 2024 for closer US federal engagement + $1.7M lobbying spend 2021-2024 via Alpine Group.

no-resale policy violated via eBay + dark-web ($6,000 list price products resold for ~$100 sometimes with prior case data per Itempnews Project investigation)

fills the 6th cyber-mercenary cell in the curated corpus, operationally completing cyber- mercenary capability coverage with mobile-forensics capability axis distinct from remote zero-click sibling clusters.

israel_private_sector_mobile_forensics_cyber_mercenary confidence: high 18 aliases
Sigma rules200 YARA rules0 Live IOCs0 CVEs exploited0

Profile

Cellebrite (canonical company naming, Cellebrite DI Ltd legal entity) is an Israeli mobile-forensics company headquartered Petach Tikva (Tel Aviv suburb), a subsidiary of Japanese Sun Corporation (~45% ownership) that IPO'd on NASDAQ August 31, 2021. The 6th cyber- mercenary cluster in this curated corpus following NSO + Candiru + Intellexa + Paragon + QuaDream + DarkMatter UAE. Cluster-defining distinction: Cellebrite focuses exclusively on mobile-device forensic extraction requiring physical device access, operationally complementary to (rather than overlapping with) sibling cyber-mercenary clusters' remote zero-click compromise capability. Per The Intercept: "The company doesn't help governments remotely hack into phones for real- time surveillance, as the NSO Group, another Israeli firm, reportedly does.

Cellebrite focuses only on forensics, collecting data and artifacts already created and stored on phones. Physical access to the phone is required for their work." Operational phases: (1) FOUNDING (1999). Originally Cellebrite Mobile Synchronization (cellular data transfer tool). (2) SUN CORPORATION ACQUISITION (2007). Japanese parent 80% (now ~45%) ownership. (3) UFED LAUNCH (2007). Universal Forensic Extraction Device flagship product. (4) US FEDERAL EXPANSION (2007+). DEA + Secret Service + Navy first contracts. (5) APPLE-FBI SAN BERNARDINO CONTROVERSY (March 2016). Reputation-building reporting. (6) ICE MAJOR CONTRACTS (2017+). $48.6M+ ICE relationship. (7) UFED PREMIUM TIER LAUNCH (2019). iOS 12.3 + Android Galaxy S9 unlock capability claims. (8) MULTIPLE AUTHORITARIAN-REGIME CONTROVERSIES (2018- 2024). Myanmar + Hong Kong + Botswana + Bangladesh + Belarus + Russia + Serbia documented use. (9) SIGNAL MOXIE MARLINSPIKE VULNERABILITY DISCLOSURE (April 2021). UFED + Physical Analyzer arbitrary code execution vulnerabilities. (10) NASDAQ IPO (August 31, 2021). Post-NSO Pegasus controversies timing. (11) TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT CROOKS PHONE UNLOCK (July 2024). 40-minute unlock demonstration. (12) CELLEBRITE FEDERAL SOLUTIONS SUBSIDIARY (2024) + SERBIA NOVISPY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL DISCLOSURE (December 2024).

Signature operational tradecraft
  • Mobile-forensics physical-device-extraction mission profile (cluster-defining): physical access required.
  • UFED flagship product line: Touch + 4PC + Pro + Premium + Ultimate variants.
  • Physical Analyzer parsing software: dual-part extraction + analysis architecture.
  • Logical + Physical extraction modes: unlocked device quick extraction vs. locked device complex extraction.
  • Comprehensive device data extraction: contacts + locations + deleted messages + calls + app data + GPS + SIM + browser data + keychain decryption.
  • Apple T2 security chip Mac extraction: only tool on market capability per AFSC.
  • Massive US federal customer portfolio: ICE $48.6M+ + CBP $6.1M+ + DOJ $15.4M+ + FBI + DEA + Secret Service + Navy + state + local law enforcement.
  • ~150 countries customer base + ~50% global digital forensics market share per CEO Yossi Carmil.
  • Sun Corporation Japanese parent ownership (signature distinct from purely-Israeli sibling clusters).
  • NASDAQ public listing (signature distinct from private sibling clusters).
  • Authoritarian-regime use documented controversies: Myanmar Reuters journalists (2018), Hong Kong protests (2019), Botswana journalist (April 2020), Bangladesh RAB extrajudicial killings (2021), Belarus + Russia political opposition (Lyubov Sobol March 2021), Serbia + NoviSpy spyware coordination (Amnesty International December 2024).
  • Signal Moxie Marlinspike April 2021 vulnerability disclosure: arbitrary code execution + outdated 2012 FFmpeg DLL + Apple iTunes signed Windows installer packages legal concerns.
  • No-resale policy violated via eBay + dark-web: $6,000 list price products resold for ~$100 sometimes with prior case data per Itempnews Project. The cluster fills the 6th cyber-mercenary cell in the curated corpus, operationally completing cyber-mercenary capability coverage with mobile-forensics capability axis distinct from remote zero-click sibling clusters.

Aliases

18
cellebritecellebrite_dicellebrite di ltdcellebrite_mobile_synchronizationufeduniversal forensic extraction deviceufed_touchufed_4pcufed_proufed_premiumufed_ultimatephysical_analyzercellebrite_federal_solutionscellebrite ufedcellebrite israeli mobile forensicscellebrite physical analyzercellebrite sun corp subsidiarycellebrite ice fbi cbp dhs contractor

Notable Campaigns

18
2024-2025Serbia NoviSpy Amnesty International Disclosure (December 2024)
2024Cellebrite Federal Solutions Subsidiary (2024)
2024Trump Assassination Attempt Crooks Phone Unlock (July 2024)
2021Signal Moxie Marlinspike UFED Vulnerability Disclosure (April 2021)
2021Cellebrite NASDAQ IPO (August 31, 2021)
2021Bangladesh RAB Extrajudicial Killings (2021)
2020Botswana Journalist Dikologang (April 2020)
2019UFED Premium 2019 Launch, iOS + Android Unlock Capability
2019Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protests (2019)
2018Myanmar Reuters Journalists Rohingya Coverage (2018)
2017ICE First Major Contract (2017)
2016Apple-FBI San Bernardino iPhone Controversy (March 2016)
2014-2021Belarus + Russia Political Opposition Targeting (March 2021)
2011ACLU Michigan State Police FOIA Action (April 2011)
2007First US Federal Contracts, DEA + Secret Service + Navy (Late 2007)
2007UFED Universal Forensic Extraction Device Launch (2007)
2007Sun Corporation Japanese Acquisition (2007)
1999Cellebrite Founding (1999)

Attribution & Reporting

Attributed by
Cellebrite official corporate documentation + financial filings (NASDAQ IPO August 2021)Yossi Carmil (Cellebrite CEO, public statements)Leeor Ben-Peretz (Cellebrite executive vice president of products and business development)American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Investigate (canonical contract documentation compilation)The Intercept (canonical Cellebrite investigative journalism, "When the FBI Has a Phone It Can't Crack, It Calls These Israeli Hackers" November 2016)Signal / Moxie Marlinspike (canonical UFED vulnerability disclosure April 2021)Stanford Cyberlaw (canonical Signal-Cellebrite legal analysis May 2021)Drop Site News (Israeli Digital Intelligence Firm Aims to Become Top U.S. Contractor 2024)MintPress News (canonical Israeli cyber-mercenary analysis)Itempnews Project (canonical Cellebrite resale + dark-web availability investigation)Amnesty International (canonical Serbia + NoviSpy spyware coordination disclosure December 2024)Committee to Protect Journalists (canonical journalist-targeting documentation)Citizen Lab (adjacent mobile-spyware industry research)ACLU (Michigan State Police 2008 FOIA action + 2017 CBP/ICE warrantless border searches lawsuit)Access Now (Krapiva canonical surveillance technology regulation advocacy)Israeli Supreme Court (Jerusalem activist lawsuit March 2021)Yedioth Ahronoth (Israeli media, Apple/FBI San Bernardino reporting March 2016)Haaretz (Israeli media, canonical industry coverage)
Key reporting
reportCellebrite official corporate documentation + NASDAQ financial filings (post-August 31, 2021 IPO)
reportThe Intercept (Cora Currier + Morgan Marquis-Boire): When the FBI Has a Phone It Can't Crack, It Calls These Israeli Hackers (November 2016), canonical Cellebrite investigative journalism
reportMoxie Marlinspike (Signal): Cellebrite UFED + Physical Analyzer vulnerability disclosure (April 21, 2021), canonical vulnerability disclosure
reportRiana Pfefferkorn (Stanford Cyberlaw): I Have a Lot to Say About Signal's Cellebrite Hack (May 12, 2021), canonical Signal-Cellebrite legal analysis
reportHaaretz: Stop Using Cellebrite, Israeli, U.K. Police Urged to Stop Using Phone-hacking Tech (April 25, 2021)
reportAFSC Investigate: Cellebrite DI Ltd, canonical contract documentation + human rights compilation
reportDrop Site News: Israeli Digital Intelligence Firm Aims to Become Top U.S. Contractor (2024), canonical recent industry analysis
reportVice Motherboard (Joseph Cox): Meet Cellebrite, the Israeli Company Reportedly Cracking iPhones for the FBI (2016)
reportMintPress News: Cellebrite, Israel's Good Cyber Cop is Big Tech's Backdoor to Breaching Your Privacy (February 2021)
reportItempnews Project: Behind the Resale of Cellebrite Technology That Can Hack Your Phone (February 2022), canonical resale + dark-web availability investigation
reportAmnesty International: Serbia Cellebrite + NoviSpy spyware coordination report (December 2024), canonical most-recent controversy disclosure
reportCommittee to Protect Journalists: Botswana + Hong Kong + Myanmar journalist targeting documentation
reportCitizen Lab: Adjacent mobile-spyware industry research context
reportYedioth Ahronoth + Haaretz: Apple-FBI San Bernardino + Israeli media canonical industry coverage

Operational

State sponsor

Private-sector Israeli mobile-forensics company (not directly state-sponsored, though deeply integrated with US + Israeli + global law enforcement + intelligence service customer base). Operationally distinct from sibling Israeli cyber-mercenary clusters (NSO + Candiru + Paragon + QuaDream + DarkMatter UAE) through cluster- defining mobile-forensics physical-device-extraction mission profile rather than remote zero-click compromise capability.

Corporate ownership + structure
  • Headquartered Petach Tikva (small city east of Tel Aviv), Israel.
  • Subsidiary of Sun Corporation (Japanese, original video-game publisher Sunsoft), which took 80% ownership in 2007 (current ~45% shareholder per AFSC)
  • IPO'd on NASDAQ August 31, 2021 (post-NSO Pegasus controversies July 2021)
  • 2024 revenue: $246M (2021), $15.3M US federal contracts alone.
  • ~520 employees (most in Israel including manufacturing facility in southern Israel)
  • Founded 1999 originally as cellular phone data transfer tool company.
  • CEO Yossi Carmil (founding-era executive)
  • CTO Leeor Ben-Peretz (executive vice president of products and business development for mobile forensics)
  • Israeli intelligence community ties (multiple former Mossad + Unit 8200 personnel)
  • Cellebrite Federal Solutions subsidiary (2024) for closer US federal engagement.
  • $1.7M lobbying spend 2021-2024 per Drop Site News Operational mission profile: Mobile-device forensic data extraction for law enforcement + intelligence + border control + military + private corporate investigation customers in ~150 countries. Per Cellebrite documentation: supports intelligence services + border patrols + special and military forces + financial organizations. Per The Intercept characterization: "The company doesn't help governments remotely hack into phones for real-time surveillance, as the NSO Group, another Israeli firm, reportedly does; Cellebrite focuses only on forensics, collecting data and artifacts already created and stored on phones. Physical access to the phone is required for their work." Operationally complementary rather than overlapping with sibling cyber-mercenary cluster capability.
Product capability profile
  • UFED (Universal Forensic Extraction Device) flagship since 2007, portable hardware tool for cell phone content extraction.
  • UFED Premium 2019, claims iOS 12.3+ + Android Galaxy S9 unlock capability.
  • Physical Analyzer, parsing and indexing software for extracted data.
  • "Logical extraction", quick + easy + requires unlocked device.
  • "Physical extraction", slower + complex + works on locked devices (not 100% reliability)
  • 8,000+ different mobile phone models supported per Cellebrite documentation.
  • Extracts: contacts + locations + deleted messages + calls + app-collected data + GPS device data + SIM card data + browser data.
  • Only tool on market capable of extracting data from Mac devices with Apple T2 security chip per AFSC.
  • Single UFED supports up to 3,000 phones per AFSC US federal government customer profile (signature): Per AFSC Investigate canonical compilation:.
  • ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement): 213 contracts $48.6M+ 2008-April 2025 (largest customer)
  • CBP (Customs and Border Protection): $6.1M+ 2009-2024 ("digital border wall", warrantless border searches)
  • DOJ (Department of Justice): 839 contracts $15.4M+ as of August 2024 (federal prison + police agencies)
  • FBI: contracts since September 11, 2009 + Apple-FBI San Bernardino 2016 controversy + Trump assassination attempt phone unlock 2024.
  • DEA + Secret Service + Navy: contracts since late 2007.
  • State-level: Arizona + Iowa + Illinois + New Jersey Departments of Public Safety.
  • Local-level: 7+ California cities + Delaware + Florida + Maine + Missouri + Pennsylvania + Rhode Island + Wisconsin police departments.
  • 230+ federal contracts cumulative since 2007 Documented authoritarian-regime + human-rights- controversy use:.
  • Myanmar (2018): Cellebrite UFED used to hack phones of two Reuters journalists who uncovered Rohingya massacre evidence; journalists convicted on secrecy law charges. Cellebrite told NYT it had stopped selling to Myanmar in 2018.
  • Hong Kong (2019): Chinese officials used Cellebrite to hack pro-democracy demonstrator phones during anti-extradition protests per The Intercept.
  • Botswana (April 2020): Officials used UFED to extract thousands of messages + images + audio from journalist Oratile Dikologang's phone during COVID-19 information-suppression arrest.
  • Bangladesh RAB (Rapid Action Battalion): software sold to RAB; after 2021 report linking RAB extrajudicial killings to Cellebrite, company announced ceasing sales to RAB.
  • Belarus + Russia (~2014-2021): technology used to persecute democratic opposition; Vladimir Putin used against political opponents including Lyubov Sobol affair (March 2021.
  • Jerusalem activist lawsuit against Cellebrite in Israeli Supreme Court).
  • Serbia (December 2024): Amnesty International reported Serbian police used Cellebrite UFED to bypass security on journalist Slaviša Milanov's Android device + environmental activists' devices, then installed NoviSpy domestic spyware on targeted devices. Cellebrite halted Serbia sales February 2025.
  • Hong Kong + China + UAE + Venezuela + multiple authoritarian regimes: documented or alleged use. Operational significance: Cellebrite represents the largest mobile-forensics vendor in the publicly-tracked private-sector cyber- mercenary ecosystem per industry analysis, ~50% of global digital forensics market share per CEO Yossi Carmil + 150-country customer base + dominant US federal customer relationships. Operationally distinct from sibling Israeli cyber-mercenary clusters through mission profile (forensic extraction vs. remote zero- click compromise) + customer profile (law enforcement + border + immigration broad vs. intelligence services narrow) + public listing (NASDAQ IPO vs. private equity). The cluster fills the 6th cyber-mercenary cell in this curated corpus, completing the cyber-mercenary capability cell coverage with mobile-forensics capability axis.
Motivations
mobile_device_forensic_extraction_capability_provision_for_law_enforcement_intelligence_customers, largest_global_digital_forensics_market_share_vendor_capability, massive_us_federal_government_contractor_relationship_ice_cbp_doj_fbi, 150_country_customer_base_law_enforcement_intelligence_border_military_corporate, signature_japanese_sun_corp_parent_ownership_structure, cluster_defining_physical_device_extraction_mission_profile_vs_remote_zero_click_siblings, signature_nasdaq_public_listing_august_2021_post_nso_pegasus_controversies, signature_authoritarian_regime_use_documented_controversies_myanmar_hong_kong_botswana_bangladesh_belarus_russia_serbia
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Detection Blind Spots

60 techniques
Across this actor’s 60 mapped techniques, the share covered by each detection layer. Low bars are where you’d be blind if this actor targeted you.
Behavioral / log (Sigma)47/60 · 78%
Analytics (MITRE CAR)22/60 · 36%
Runtime / container (Falco)7/60 · 11%
File / malware (YARA)2/60 · 3%
Network (Suricata/Snort)9/60 · 15%
Vuln scan (Nuclei)0/60 · 0%

Atomic Test Plan

30 techniques
Runnable Atomic Red Team tests covering this actor’s mapped techniques - validate your detections against this specific adversary. Cross-reference the blind spots above. For authorized lab / purple-team use. Open the full builder

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MOXIE MARLINSPIKE APRIL 2021 UFED VULNERABILITY DISCLOSURESERBIA NOVISPY SPYWARE COORDINATION AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 2024SIM CARD SD CARD EXTRACTIONSUN CORPORATION JAPANESE PARENT 45 PERCENT OWNERSHIP
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