A major U.S. government contractor claims to have found a way to crack the privacy protections on Apple’s iPhone, according to a report by Forbes.com.

Cellebrite, an Israeli company that has become the federal government’s top choice for unlocking mobile devices, this month started telling customers that it found a way to get past the security measures of the iPhone’s latest mobile operating system.

“iOS 11 was only released in September last year and was even praised by Cellebrite competitor Elcomsoft for new features that were designed to make it harder for forensics experts to hack into an iPhone,” Forbes reporter Thomas Fox-Brewster wrote. “That included protections against forced unlocks with fingerprints, a tactic previously used by U.S. police in the field.”

Cellebrite’s technology was used to unlock an iPhone X, Apple’s flagship handset that sells for about $1,000, on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security last fall, Fox-Brewster said.

Forbes uncovered a warrant that detailed an investigation into a suspect in an arms trafficking case whose iPhone X was taken from him as he was about to leave the U.S. for Beirut, Lebanon, on November 20. A Cellebrite specialist at DHS Homeland Security Investigations extracted data from the device on December 5. The case is due to go to trial on July 31.

Cellebrite, a unit of Japan's Sun Corp., hasn't made any major public announcement about its new iOS capabilities. Sources who asked not to be named told Forbes that the company is advertising the unlocking service to law enforcement and private forensics authorities worldwide.

Police have sought ways to crack iPhones ever since Apple started improving its security with each new release. Layers of encryption have become increasingly difficult to penetrate.

"Your personal data should always be protected on your device and never shared without your permission," Apple's privacy policy says. "So we build encryption, on-device intelligence, and other tools into our products to let you share what you want on your terms." 

Many U.S. policing and intelligence agencies, including the FBI and the Secret Service, are Cellebrite customers. The company scored record contracts with a variety of agencies, most notably the Immigration and Customs Enforcement branch of the DHS, Forbes reported.

Meltdown Vulnerability

Apple last month said all Mac computers, iPhones and iPads are affected by chip security flaws discovered last year. The company said there are no known exploits that would negatively affect users.

Software updates for most Apple devices remedied another vulnerability known as Meltdown, the company said. The Apple Watch, which runs a derivative of the iPhone’s operating system, wasn't affected.

Apple said its steps to address the Meltdown issue haven’t hurt the performance of its products. The company also release an update to its Safari web browser to defend against another form of the security flaw known as Spectre. These steps could slow the speed of the browser by less than 2.5 percent, Apple said in a statement posted on its website.

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