U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), through its investigative arm Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), has signed a contract worth $3 million with Magnet Forensics, a company known for building phone hacking and unlocking devices.
The details of this contract appeared on Tuesday in a federal government procurement database. According to the database entry, the contract is for software licenses that allow HSI to unlock smartphones, recover digital evidence, process multiple devices at once, and generate forensic reports. These tools, the contract noted, are “essential to the mission of protecting national security and the public.”
Although the contract does not mention the product by name, industry experts say it almost certainly refers to Graykey, a forensic tool originally developed by Grayshift. Graykey allows investigators to bypass locks on smartphones and extract data that is otherwise difficult to access.
Magnet Forensics became the owner of Graykey after merging with Grayshift. Both companies were acquired in 2023 by private equity firm Thoma Bravo. Since then, Graykey has been sold as part of Magnet’s growing suite of forensic tools for law enforcement.
Outrage grows as Kristi Noem’s ‘ICE Barbie’ stunt video shows wrongful detention of American citizen
Additional Contracts Add to the Arsenal
The $3 million contract is only one of several recent agreements between ICE and Magnet Forensics. The procurement database shows that ICE and HSI have signed multiple deals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past few weeks for software designed to collect and analyze digital evidence.
Among these contracts are:
-
$145,000 subscription for Magnet Griffeye Enterprise, a platform that allows HSI to collect, organize, and analyze digital data.
-
$90,000 renewal license for Graykey Premier, described in government records as software for “iOS and Android extractions of electronic devices for law enforcement investigations,” specifically for HSI’s Detroit office. The contract was signed on September 5.
-
$57,000 software license for Graykey to help HSI recover digital evidence from multiple devices during investigations. This was signed on August 21.
-
$12,000 software purchase for unspecified Magnet Forensics licenses for HSI’s Charlotte office, signed on August 18.
Together, these contracts show that ICE is making heavy investments in digital forensic technology. The latest $3 million deal represents one of the largest single agreements made public in recent months.
Kristi Noem fires FEMA’s 24 IT staff after massive cybersecurity breach
Neither Magnet Forensics nor its partners responded to media questions about the new contracts. ICE acknowledged inquiries but declined to comment. The Department of Homeland Security also did not provide a statement.
Graykey and ICE’s Expanding Use of Surveillance Tools
Graykey has been one of the most discussed tools in the law enforcement world since it was launched in 2016. It was designed to compete with UFED, a phone unlocking system made by the Israeli company Cellebrite. While Cellebrite had long been the standard for phone data extraction, Graykey quickly gained attention for its ability to break into locked iPhones, even the newer models with stronger security protections.
ICE and HSI have used Graykey before. In fact, last year the agency signed a separate $5 million contract with Magnet Forensics to use the same technology. That earlier contract was reported by Forbes at the time. The new $3 million deal adds to this history of investment and suggests continued reliance on the device.
Hollywood stunned as ‘Hacks’ star Einbinder uses Emmy spotlight to back Palestine and attack ICE
Graykey is just one of several powerful technologies used by ICE. Reports have shown that ICE also relies on facial recognition software from Clearview AI, cellphone spyware developed by Paragon, and large-scale data analytics platforms created by Palantir. Together, these tools give the agency a wide range of digital surveillance capabilities.
For critics, these purchases raise questions about privacy, oversight, and accountability. Supporters argue that the technology is necessary to combat serious crimes, including threats to national security. Regardless of opinion, the contracts clearly demonstrate how ICE continues to expand its use of advanced forensic systems.
