Met Police used phone-hacking software ‘secretly owned by Russia’
Oxygen Forensics software was used to break into the phones of suspects during live investigations by British police forces, including specialist units within Scotland Yard.
The Metropolitan Police used spy software believed to have been secretly developed in Russia, it has been revealed.
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Oxygen Forensics software was used to break into the phones of suspects during live investigations by British police forces, including specialist units within Scotland Yard.
The US-based software company has been accused of covering up its Russian ownership to avoid sanctions before being awarded government contracts.
Officials arrested the company’s American chief executive and a Russian national last week after a US investigation revealed that the company had worked to hide its ownership in an alleged attempt to dodge sanctions and scrutiny.
Prosecutors alleged that the software had also been used by Moscow’s security services, according to The Telegraph.
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Following the accusations, a number of British police forces were instructed to assess and identify any issues with Oxygen Forensics software, which can break into password-protected mobile devices, including smartphones and drones.
British police forces are believed to have used the tech to bypass locked screens, passwords and encryption to obtain data from devices.
The software is reported not to have contained malicious code, and there is currently no suggestion that customer data was accessed without permission.
Scotland Yard has suspended its use of Oxygen Forensics tools while an investigation is underway.
A Met spokesperson said it had started the contract with Oxygen in 2023 and had used the tech’s digital investigations tool to extract data from devices in a minimal number of cases.
In 2018 advertising material, Oxygen claimed its many law-enforcement clients included the UK’s biggest police force and forces across Europe.
The Met reportedly used the software under 40 times over the past year.
A Met spokesperson said investigations carried out using Oxygen comprised “a fraction of the Met’s overall digital forensics work”.
“The Met is one of a number of UK police forces to use the company’s services. Since 2023, the Met has had a contract with Oxygen Forensics Inc, making limited use of tools to recover digital forensic information,” they went on.
“We have paused our use of the tool while we carry out a full review. At this time, we believe any impact to ongoing investigations will be extremely limited.
“The Met does not share any data obtained from investigations with Oxygen Forensics Inc.”
The charges have been reported by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) to the National Cyber Security Centre.
Alicia Kearns, the shadow security minister, described the use of Oxygen’s software as “utterly unacceptable” and called for the Home Office to carry out a full investigation of its use.
“Pausing its use is the bare minimum,” she told the Telegraph. “The Home Office must now order a full audit of every force, and establish exactly what data this software touched.”
An NPCC spokesman said: “We are aware of the allegations made by US authorities regarding Oxygen Forensics.
“These remain allegations at this stage, and we note that US authorities have stated they are not alleging the software contained malicious code or that customer data was accessed without authorisation.
“The NPCC and the Forensic Capability Network have reviewed the information currently available and informed relevant partners, including the National Cyber Security Centre and the Forensic Science Regulator.
“Forces that use Oxygen products have also been encouraged to undertake proportionate local assessments and activity to understand and contain any issues that are identified.
“We will continue to monitor this situation as the investigation continues and ensure policing takes an effective, consistent response.”
A Met spokesperson told LBC: “We are aware that charges have been brought in the US in respect of Oxygen Forensics Inc.
“The Met is one of a number of UK police forces to use the company’s services.“Since 2023, the Met has had a contract with Oxygen Forensics Inc, making limited use of tools to recover digital forensic information. This represents a fraction of the Met’s overall digital forensics work.
“We have paused our use of the tool while we carry out a full review. At this time, we believe any impact to ongoing investigations will be extremely limited. The Met does not share any data obtained from investigations with Oxygen Forensics Inc.”