What would the CIA do?

[balanga]

Assuming someone has some top secret info on a smart phone and it suddenly does not boot up properly, how would the CIA recover data on the phone?

In my case I have an Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 which looks as though it boots up normally but none of the apps work. It receives incoming calls and texts but they can't be read and none of the data can be accessed.

Now if I had some top secret data on this phone which the CIA wanted to access, would they simply accept that it is not accessible or would they find some way to retrieve the data.

If so how?

Xiaomi tell me the only thing I can do is perform a reset.

 

[DerTeufel]

As long as the data is not encrypted, it is possible to solder out the flash storage and read it.
If the device itself is working, you can use ADP to boot another system, this is the same process as installation an alternative operating system.

 

[6502]

They can open their internal document with instructions for Redmi Note 10 and follow steps.

 

[atax1a]

The CIA? it would probably interface with your Commodore 64 disk drive, why do you ask?

 

[fjdlr]

If you're in the States, it's more likely the NSA or FBI.
Out, yes, the CIA.
No problem accessing your Xiaomi, or anything else.

 

[Phishfry]

They would call in a predator and eliminate all evidence of NOFORN with compromised intel material.

 

[ralphbsz]

In my case I have an Xiaomi Redmi Note 10

In which case the Chinese government agencies probably have all the tools required, and they can work closely with the manufacturer.

Now if I had some top secret data on this phone which the CIA wanted to access, would they simply accept that it is not accessible or would they find some way to retrieve the data.

Look up the story of the Bakersfield terrorist attack, and how US government agencies tried to read out his phone, using a secretish Israeli company. Apple didn't want to help, and claimed that the data is unreadable. In that case, they were able to read the phone with help from a secretish small company; Apple did not cooperate.

Xiaomi tell me the only thing I can do is perform a reset.

What do you expect them to tell you? That your data is wildly insecure?

 

[Phishfry]

Everbody here is missing the mark. It's the Israelis who handle all the phone hacks for the FBI ect...
Cellebrite & NSO

 

[MG]

Since such computers don't provide root credentials to the physical operator, it can be considered compromised out of the box. The CIA only has to call the manufacturer to borrow these credentials.. They installed the OS. They know how to access all data on the device, as the OS does, with or without user identification.

 

[drhowarddrfine]

When you have access to the device, everything can be accessed. Just not without any apps you'll find to install.

 

[Phishfry]

I feel iphone has gotten pretty secure by most standards. Even for a nation state actor. Thanks to Pegasus ect.. It is defiantly cat and mouse game.
APL seem to be sincere in their security posture. A rare find for a company.

 

[balanga]

As long as the data is not encrypted, it is possible to solder out the flash storage and read it.
If the device itself is working, you can use ADP to boot another system, this is the same process as installation an alternative operating system.

It would be good if that were true but I have not seen any guide for doing this, and don't believe it is possible.

The system does boot but it is impossible to use any apps although a few options within Settings work.

Whichever app I try to open simply shows the message:

Wait until device is fully booted before opening apps

It has been in this state for almost a year.

 

[balanga]

When you have access to the device, everything can be accessed. Just not without any apps you'll find to install.

All the icons appear but they don't open.

When I select them I get

Wait until device is fully booted before opening apps

 

[MrBSD]

I feel iphone has gotten pretty secure by most standards. Even for a nation state actor. Thanks to Pegasus ect.. It is defiantly cat and mouse game.
APL seem to be sincere in their security posture. A rare find for a company.

Or apple simply gives their internal data to nso. This way they convince you and everybody else that they are good guys. Its those pesky foreign hacking companies you should be mad at.

Its just scary how gullible some people are in thinking that trillion dollar company is protecting you. God help us.

 

[fjdlr]

Everbody here is missing the mark. It's the Israelis who handle all the phone hacks for the FBI ect...
Cellebrite & NSO

Almost true, their software is terrible

 

[astyle]

"Hello, is this CIA?"

"How did you know?"

"You managed to call a cell phone that has no number, it's powered off, and battery has been ripped out."

 

[fjdlr]

"Hello, is this CIA?"

"How did you know?"

"You managed to call a cell phone that has no number, it's powered off, and battery has been ripped out."

Next to a microwave oven, it activated wirelessly and connected to the Google Home box.

 

[wolffnx]

"Assuming someone" is like "I got a friend that.."?

 

[cracauer@]

It is likely that the NSA has tools that lowly agencies like CIA and FBI are not supposed to know about. That's the nature of the game.

 

[6502]

CIA will forward the phone to NSA and receive the data.

 

[cracauer@]

CIA will forward the phone to NSA and receive the data.

Not if it requires a very secretive tool on part of the NSA.

 

[drhowarddrfine]

It is likely that the NSA has tools that lowly agencies like CIA and FBI are not supposed to know about. That's the nature of the game.

I had a secret tool in 1990. It's called a "logic analyzer". I'd clamp it onto a 68000 processor and see all the signals going into and out of it. It also decoded it and I could see the code it was running. These things are nothing new and I'm sure intelligence agencies have something that can do the same thing.

As I said earlier. If you have the device in your possession, you can get the data.

 

[cracauer@]

I had a secret tool in 1990. It's called a "logic analyzer". I'd clamp it onto a 68000 processor and see all the signals going into and out of it. It also decoded it and I could see the code it was running. These things are nothing new and I'm sure intelligence agencies have something that can do the same thing.

As I said earlier. If you have the device in your possession, you can get the data.

If you never have the device actually decrypt the filesystem while you are watching you need more than a logic analyzer.

 

[drhowarddrfine]

I'd bet I could but you won't pay me enough to do it