CySecurity News - Latest Information Security and Hacking Incidents

Police Hacked Thousands of Phones. Was it Legal?

In October 2020, Christian Lödden’s potential clients sought to discuss just one thing, which carried on for a week. Every individual whom the German criminal defense lawyer has contacted had apparently been utilizing the encrypted phone network EncroChat. This information raised concerns about their devices being hacked, potentially exposing the crimes they may have been a part of. “I had 20 meetings like this. Then I realized—oh my gosh—the flood is coming.” Lödden says. 

Authorities in Europe, led by French and Dutch forces disclosed how the EncroChar network had been compromised several months earlier. More than 100 million messages were siphoned out by malware the police covertly inserted into the encrypted system, exposing the inner workings of the criminal underworld. People openly discussed drug deals, coordinated kidnappings, premeditated killings, and worse. 

The hack, considered one of the largest ever being conducted by the police, was an intelligence gold mine. It led to hundreds of arrests, home raids, and thousands of kilograms of drugs being seized. Following this, thousands of EncroChat members are now imprisoned in Europe, including the UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, after two years have passed. 

Hacking EncroChat 

The EncroChat phone network, which was established in 2016, had about 60,000 users when it was uncovered by law enforcement. According to EncroChat’s company website,

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