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ICE Using Forensics Software Linked to Russian Security Network

A federal contract signed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on September 30, 2024, has resurfaced in light of explosive investigative reporting tying its mobile extraction software vendor to Russia’s security ecosystem — including networks connected to the FSB and a hacker once placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. The software in question, developed…

A federal contract signed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on September 30, 2024, has resurfaced in light of explosive investigative reporting tying its mobile extraction software vendor to Russia’s security ecosystem — including networks connected to the FSB and a hacker once placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.

The software in question, developed by Oxygen Forensics Inc., allows investigators to extract messages, deleted files, location history, encrypted communications, and application data from smartphones. It converts raw device data into structured investigative reports for use in immigration enforcement, criminal cases, and national security operations.

But the company’s corporate lineage traces back to Moscow.

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The Russian Connection

Oxygen Software was founded in Moscow in the early 2000s by Russian developers before expanding into the United States as Oxygen Forensics Inc., registered in Virginia.

Meanwhile, its Russian counterpart — reorganized as MKO Systems — developed Mobile Forensic Detective, a smartphone extraction platform reportedly used by Russian authorities, including agencies operating under FSB licensing.

According to investigative reporting from Radio Svoboda:

• Mobile forensic systems are deployed at Russian border crossings
• Citizens are required to surrender phones for extraction
• Deleted messages and encrypted data are recovered
• Data is indexed and searched within hours
• Information has been used in prosecutions tied to “extremism” and anti-war speech

Separately, U.S. authorities have sanctioned Eduard Bendersky — a former Vympel special forces officer tied to Russia’s Federal Security Service — for alleged connections to the Evil Corp cybercrime network.

Evil Corp leader Maksim Yakubets remains under U.S. indictment with a $5 million reward for his arrest.

Bendersky later emerged as an investor and executive in companies connected to the Oxygen brand’s Russian operations.

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Federal Contracts Continue

Despite heightened scrutiny over Russian cyber operations in recent years — including the removal of Kaspersky software from federal systems — Oxygen Forensics Inc. has maintained active federal contractor status.

Records show awards and contracts from:

• ICE
• FBI
• DEA
• Customs and Border Protection
• U.S. Secret Service
• State Department

The company remains eligible for additional federal contracts through September 2026.

There is no public evidence of operational collaboration between U.S. agencies and Russian intelligence via this software.

However, the supply chain origins raise serious national security questions.

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Parallel Capabilities

Oxygen Forensics’ tools are designed to extract:

• Deleted messages
• Encrypted communications
• App data
• Browser histories
• Geolocation records
• Device metadata

These capabilities closely resemble those described in Russian enforcement deployments.

A 2023 Moscow arbitration case involving Elcomsoft alleged proprietary code overlap in iOS deep extraction capabilities between Russian-developed and U.S.-marketed tools.

While the case settled, it highlighted technical proximity between platforms used in both jurisdictions.

The broader concern is not espionage — it is systemic vulnerability.

When software architectures share common origins across geopolitical fault lines, risk multiplies.

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Border Expansion and Surveillance

Mobile extraction tools are increasingly used at U.S. border crossings.

Visitors and returning citizens may be asked to surrender devices.

ICE has expanded device forensics into:

• Immigration enforcement
• Protest-related investigations
• National security reviews
• Criminal cases

The expansion of digital extraction raises constitutional questions about privacy, probable cause, and scope of authority.

At the same time, these systems are embedded within procurement pipelines largely invisible to the public.

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Prophetic Context: Knowledge and Control

Daniel 12:4 (NASB 1995) states:

Many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

The exponential growth of digital knowledge is undeniable. But Scripture also warns of systems capable of controlling commerce and behavior (Revelation 13).

The infrastructure being constructed today — AI systems, mobile extraction platforms, data indexing networks — enables unprecedented state visibility into private lives.

Whether in Moscow or Washington, the capability exists.

Technology is neutral. Power is not.

Strategic Implications

Congress should ask:

• What due diligence was performed on vendor lineage?
• What code audits are in place?
• What safeguards prevent embedded vulnerabilities?
• Why were Russian-origin forensic ecosystems treated differently than Kaspersky?

The issue is not partisan.

It is structural.

Digital extraction technology tied historically to Russia’s security-adjacent ecosystem is operating inside U.S. federal systems at a time when Russia remains an adversarial state.

Oversight is not optional.

It is necessary.

The tools that unlock phones can also unlock national vulnerabilities.


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