The Feds Still Can't Get Into Eric Adams' Phone (theverge.com) 33
The Verge's Gaby Del Valle reports: New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted last week on charges including fraud, bribery, and soliciting donations from foreign nationals, told federal investigators he forgot his phone password before handing it over, according to charging documents. That was almost a year ago, and investigators still can't get into the phone, prosecutors said Wednesday.
During a federal court hearing, prosecutor Hagan Scotten said the FBI's inability to get into Adams' phone is a "significant wild card," according to a report from the New York Post. The FBI issued a search warrant for Adams' devices in November 2023. Adams initially handed over two phones but didn't have his personal device on him. The indictment does not mention what type of device Adams uses. When Adams turned in his personal cellphone the following day, charging documents say, he said he had changed the password a day prior -- after learning about the investigation -- and couldn't remember it. Adams told investigators he changed the password "to prevent members of his staff from inadvertently or intentionally deleting the contents of his phone," the indictment alleges. The FBI just needs the right tools. When investigators failed to break into the Trump rally shooter's phone in July, they sent the device to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, where agents used an unreleased tool from the Israeli company Cellebrite to crack it in less than an hour.
During a federal court hearing, prosecutor Hagan Scotten said the FBI's inability to get into Adams' phone is a "significant wild card," according to a report from the New York Post. The FBI issued a search warrant for Adams' devices in November 2023. Adams initially handed over two phones but didn't have his personal device on him. The indictment does not mention what type of device Adams uses. When Adams turned in his personal cellphone the following day, charging documents say, he said he had changed the password a day prior -- after learning about the investigation -- and couldn't remember it. Adams told investigators he changed the password "to prevent members of his staff from inadvertently or intentionally deleting the contents of his phone," the indictment alleges. The FBI just needs the right tools. When investigators failed to break into the Trump rally shooter's phone in July, they sent the device to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, where agents used an unreleased tool from the Israeli company Cellebrite to crack it in less than an hour.
Cop to cop (Score:2)
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Flake.
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If he was just inducted last week, someone needs to explain the entire how, what, and why of collecting his magically unhackable phone a YEAR ago.
The investigation has been going on for a long time: they started seizing evidence (his three phones) in November 2023. The Grand Jury has only last week got around to indicting him, based on the evidence. (But no evidence from the phone, which is still locked.)
Surprising (Score:2)
I
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It's not any secret what kind of magical phone he had.
You can pre-order your iPhone right now, if you don't already have one. It's just a phone.
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My iPhone is several generations old and I wouldn't be surprised if it could have the security cr
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If he went to those efforts he would have wiped the device as well making any actual data recovery even more di
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Re: Surprising (Score:1)
He changed the password and claims to have forgotten it because he's a criminal. Pretty damn clear here. He wasn't trying to be the upstanding moral citizen he's trying to come off as and protect the evidence. He's a criminal and not a very stupid one at that.
Upstanding (Score:2)
Didn't he do a press conference a few days ago saying he has absolutely nothing to hide? Except for what's on his phone I guess.
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I wonder who he annoyed (Score:2)
Everything Adam's accused of is just garden variety corruption typical of politicians, and a total nothingburger next to Pelosi's insider trading or Biden Inc:
https://www.politico.com/magaz... [politico.com]
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Everything Adam's accused of is just garden variety corruption typical of politicians, and a total nothingburger next to Pelosi's insider trading or Biden Inc:
https://www.politico.com/magaz... [politico.com]
That's hilarious. I know a guy who owns a building in Manhattan with his name on the front and famously stiffs everyone. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/... [bloomberglaw.com]
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They're trying to hype the case, which sounds highly political. This Adams guy is just doing what all relatively powerful politicians do. I'll believe the FBI is serious when they apply the same rules to all of them.
Even if you had full unobstructed power over the FBI, I seriously doubt you would discover another 400+ cases of phone confiscation along with a full year-long media coverup on that legal action against a politician, to validate your highly political theory.
If this sounds even mildly normal to you, then move the fuck out of Chicago.
Unreleased? (Score:3)
"they sent the device to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, where agents used an unreleased tool from the Israeli company Cellebrite to crack it in less than an hour" -- If the FBI has the tool, then it isn't exactly unreleased, is it.
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"they sent the device to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, where agents used an unreleased tool from the Israeli company Cellebrite to crack it in less than an hour" -- If the FBI has the tool, then it isn't exactly unreleased, is it.
Uh, more importantly, show me how there isn’t blatant bias going on here. We’ve seen Eric Adams speak. He couldn’t even play a hacker on public access TV, much less one in real life to thwart the FBI cybercrime division for a year. You’re telling me HIS phone is somehow magically unhackable, and that has nothing to do with politics? Bullshit.
I wonder what the ratio of cracked vs. “uncrackable” phones are at the FBI, with that ratio being defined by a political party i
Don't be coy (Score:2)
It's an iPhone or on an outside chance a Pixel. Samsung doesn't prioritize security and everyone else doesn't even thinking about it.
Of course they can (Score:2)
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The cops don't use all of their tools unless they need them because it lets everyone know what tools they have
Amazing how all those “secret” tools either come out “in less than an hour”, or don’t ever come out at all..depending on who is being investigated.
It’s almost as if there’s no secret to hide here at all. Almost as if an abusive Government has zero reason to hide any illegal or unconstitutional act from anyone. Because the fuck your gonna do about it anyway.
Of course they can.
up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A? (Score:2)
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Password retrieval (Score:3)