A new report reveals that law enforcement agencies throughout the United States now have a system that can unlock the latest iPhone models, as well as older devices running the two most recent releases of Apple Inc.’s iOS software.

The information came to light through a Motherboard investigation published Thursday. The cracking system in question, GrayKey, is sold by an Atlanta-based company called Grayshift LLC that counts a former Apple security engineer among its staff.

Based on leaked photos obtained by cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes Inc., the GrayKey system (pictured) takes the form of a gray box measuring four inches wide, four inches deep and two inches tall. On the front are two Lightning cables for plugging in iPhones. After a device is hooked up to a GrayKey unit, it reportedly takes about two minutes for the system to download a piece of software onto the handset that performs the cracking.

The leaked information suggests that unlocking an iPhone can take anywhere from two hours to three days for devices protected by a passcode longer than six digits. GrayKey can do so despite the fact that Apple has developed several mechanisms for blocking attempts at cracking a user’s code, including a feature that enforces an increasing time delay after every failed guess.

GrayKey comes in two models that are much cheaper than some of the cracking solutions previously employed by law enforcement. The low-end variant costs $15,000 and can be used on 300 iPhones, which breaks down to $50 per device, while the more expensive $30,000 edition allows for an unlimited number of unlocks.

GrayKey’s feature set and relatively low price appear to have made the system quite popular among law enforcement agencies. Motherboard reported that Grayshift has landed deals with regional police forces including the Maryland State Police and Indiana State Police. Others, such as the Miami-Dade County Police, indicated that they may adopt it as well.

Moreover, federal law enforcement agencies are also interested in GrayKey. The State Department has reportedly bought the system, while the Drug Enforcement Administration and Secret Service both intend to procure units of their own. The Federal Bureau of Investigation at one point requested a quote for six GrayKey boxes.

The revelations will likely add fuel to the debate around law enforcement personnel’s access to personal mobile devices. Agencies such as the FBI have in recent years pushed for tech giants to add so-called backdoors to their software, arguing that they’re necessary to help officials obtain needed information during investigations. Privacy advocates and cryptography experts, in turn, warn that such backdoors would harm the privacy of law-abiding citizens.

Image: Malwarebytes