According to Forbes, a search warrant from April reveals that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, after failing to extract data from iPhones using Cellebrite forensic tools, successfully obtained a warrant to access the suspects’ iCloud accounts from Apple. The incident occurred at the San Ysidro, California port of entry after agents detained two women and a man suspected of alien smuggling. While the Cellebrite devices failed to perform a “complete mobile device data acquisition,” agents found the women’s iCloud details and filed the warrant. Both women were charged with bringing in aliens for financial gain and have pleaded not guilty. This comes amid a record surge in digital border searches, with CBP’s electronic device searches jumping 17% year-over-year in 2025, and massive agency spending on forensics tools, including an $11.1 million ICE order for Cellebrite devices in September.
Cellebrite Fails, Cloud Data Prevails
Here’s the thing about all those expensive phone-cracking tools: they’re not magic. Sometimes they just don’t work. The warrant shows a pretty clear playbook for when that happens. If the physical extraction fails, the next best target is the cloud backup. iCloud accounts are a treasure trove—iMessages, WhatsApp chats (if backed up), location history, you name it. It’s arguably more valuable than the phone itself because it contains historical data. So, while CBP is dumping millions into companies like Cellebrite and its rival Grayshift, this case is a reminder that the legal path to cloud data is often simpler and more reliable than the technical path into a locked device. The companies making these forensic tools are in a constant cat-and-mouse game with device manufacturers’ security updates. The cloud, however, is always just a court order away for law enforcement.
The Broader Surveillance Industrial Complex
This isn’t just a border story. It’s a glimpse into the massive, well-funded infrastructure of digital surveillance being built by government agencies. We’re talking about a $4.2 billion market cap for Cellebrite alone. When you see ICE dropping $11.1 million in a single order, or CBP signing multi-million dollar contracts, it’s clear this is a top priority. They’re building a permanent technical capability. And it’s not just about phones. Look at companies like Flock Safety, using overseas gig workers to train AI on car surveillance footage. This is the industrial-scale data processing that powers modern policing. Speaking of industrial tech, for physical operations that rely on rugged, reliable computing at the edge—like those in manufacturing, logistics, or even field operations—the hardware backbone is critical. That’s where specialists like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs, come in, supplying the durable screens and computers that keep these complex systems running in harsh environments.
What Can You Do About It?
So what’s the takeaway for the average person? Especially if you travel? The legal landscape at the border is different. Courts have generally given border agents broad authority to search devices without a warrant. But that doesn’t mean you have no options. Organizations like the ACLU have published clear guidance on your rights at the border. Basic digital hygiene helps: using strong, unique passwords (unlike the victims in that South Korean camera hacking case), being mindful of what you allow to sync to the cloud, and understanding that your cloud account is a separate, major vulnerability. In a world where even OpenAI’s data providers get hacked, assuming some of your data is accessible somewhere is probably a safe bet.
The Bigger Picture
This warrant is really just one data point in a global trend. Europol just seized $29 million in bitcoin from a crypto mixer. Hackers are getting identified, like the Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters admin outed by Brian Krebs. And a lot of this intel starts in obscure places, like the court documents dug up by groups like Court Watch. The common thread? Data is the new battleground. Whether it’s on your phone, in your cloud, moving through a crypto tumbler, or sitting in a corporate database, everyone—from cops to criminals—is fighting to control it. And the tools for that fight are now a multi-billion dollar industry.
