Met Police suspends use of phone-hacking software over Russian links

Scotland Yard has halted the use of digital forensics software from Oxygen Forensics following allegations that the company, supposedly American, was secretly owned by Russians and developed in Moscow. The Metropolitan Police confirmed pausing the tool and launching a full investigation after US prosecutors accused Oxygen CEO Lee Reiber and Russian national Oleg Sergeyevich Davydov of concealing ownership and software development location.

The Met signed a three-year deal with Oxygen in December 2023, using its software to extract and analyze data from seized phones and devices during investigations. The force stated any impact to ongoing investigations would be minimal and does not share data obtained from investigations with Oxygen. The pause follows US allegations that Oxygen presented itself as an independent American company while owned by five Russian nationals through a Cyprus-based holding company.

The DOJ did not claim malicious code or unauthorized data access. Davydov, 52, was arrested at Heathrow Airport and is facing extradition to the US. Other UK forces have been urged to conduct their own assessments of Oxygen products. Romanian authorities have started terminating use of Oxygen tools, and Latvia's State Police has suspended the software pending assessment.