FBI hacked Pixel phones to sell to criminals
David Imel / Android Authority
TL; DR
- The FBI hacked phones using their own software and a hidden messaging app called Anom. It then sold these phones to criminals.
- However, the Anom app was neither encrypted nor secure, and the FBI overheard criminal chats for years.
- Now these hacked phones – which appear to be mostly Pixel 4a and Pixel 3a devices – are being put up for sale on aftermarket sites.
Last month a story was published about an operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that resulted in hundreds of arrests. The FBI started a real business selling ultra-secure Android smartphones to people who care about privacy – which mostly meant criminals.
There was an app on those phones called Anom, which was the main feature of the “FBI Company”. Anom was a hidden messaging app that was touted as safe and private by the FBI. Of course, the criminals who bought these FBI phones used Anom to coordinate criminal activity. The problem, however, was that Anom wasn’t private and the FBI listened to every word.
Connected: Can your ISP see your browsing history? Here’s what you need to know.
Armed with tons of evidence, the FBI then arrested hundreds of criminals. It is now one of the most successful operations in recent times.
But what happened to all of these phones? Certainly not everyone who bought one has used it in criminal activities. Well, it turns out that some of the phones on aftermarket sites similar to Craigslist end up here in the United States. People then buy the phones thinking they are regular Android phones at a bargain price.
Vice was able to reach one of those FBI phones by contacting people who had unwittingly bought one. So far, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that most phones are A-series pixels like the Pixel 4a and Pixel 3a.
FBI Phones: Nothing but a Show
David Imel / Android Authority
Although the phones are Pixel, they don’t have the Pixel UI on Android. Instead, they come with a custom ROM known as the Arcane OS. Little is known about the origins of Arcane OS, but it appears to render most of the phone’s functions useless.
For example, almost none of the pre-installed apps actually work. For example, if you tap the Instagram app, nothing happens. All of the operating system exists for the show to create the illusion that the phone is normal. If you restarted, you would then enter a specific PIN, which shows a different – but still normal-looking – start screen. Opening the Calculator app from this screen will open Anom. You can then log in and start chatting.
See also: Is it really a good idea to sell your privacy for a cheaper phone?
There was a shortcut in quick settings to erase the entire phone (indicated by an icon that looks like a paper shredder). The whole point of the FBI phones was to trick criminals into using Anom on the pretext that it was safe to talk about anything.
