Ice Unit Wins $3M Contract for Phone-Hacking Technology

HSI Contracts with Magnet Forensics for Phone-Hacking Technology

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the enforcement division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has entered into a $3 million agreement with Magnet Forensics. This company specializes in the creation of digital forensic tools, including a device known as Graykey, designed for accessing and unlocking mobile phones.

Details of the Contract

The contract, publicly accessible through a federal government procurement database on Tuesday, specifies the acquisition of software licenses. These licenses are intended for HSI to facilitate the recovery of digital evidence, the processing of numerous devices, and the generation of forensic reports. These reports are crucial for fulfilling the agency’s mission of safeguarding national security and public safety.

Although the contract documentation does not explicitly name the product, it is widely believed to pertain to Graykey. This forensic system allows for the unlocking of smartphones and the extraction of data contained within them. Graykey was initially developed by Grayshift.

Recent Acquisitions and Related Contracts

Magnet Forensics acquired Grayshift in 2023, following a buyout by the private equity firm Thoma Bravo. Beyond this latest agreement, records within the procurement database reveal a series of additional contracts between ICE, HSI, and Magnet Forensics, as well as its partner, Panamerica Computers.

• A $145,000 subscription for Magnet Griffeye Enterprise, a platform designed for the collection, processing, organization, and analysis of data and evidence, was signed with HSI on Tuesday.

• HSI in Detroit secured a $90,000 contract on September 5 for the renewal of GrayKey Premier software licenses. These licenses are utilized for the extraction of data from iOS and Android devices during law enforcement investigations.

• On August 21, a $57,000 purchase was made for software licenses for Graykey, intended to assist HSI in recovering digital evidence from multiple devices during investigative operations.

• An additional $12,000 contract was signed on August 18 for unspecified Magnet Forensics software licenses for HSI operations in Charlotte.

Agency Responses

Magnet Forensics did not provide a response to a request for comment from TechCrunch. ICE also initially did not respond to inquiries regarding the contract, including questions about the potential use of Graykey devices to extract information from the devices of detained migrants.

Following the initial publication of this report, ICE spokesperson Paige Hughes stated that the agency does not disclose details concerning investigative techniques, tools, or ongoing operations. She explained that such disclosure could compromise the safety of law enforcement personnel and operational security.

Broader Technological Toolkit

ICE utilizes a comprehensive suite of technological tools to support its deportation efforts. This includes facial-recognition software from Clearview AI, cell phone spyware developed by Paragon, and data analytics software provided by Palantir.

Last year, a $5 million contract was awarded to Magnet Forensics by ICE for Graykey, as initially reported by Forbes. Graykey was first introduced in 2016 as a competitor to UFED, a more established phone-hacking system manufactured by the Israeli company Cellebrite.

This article has been updated to include a statement from an ICE spokesperson.