The Immigration Department and the Great Barrier Reef watchdog are the latest government agencies confirmed to have bought phone-hacking technology.

The hardware, developed by Israeli-company Cellebrite, is used by law enforcement and defence agencies and can bypass user locks, download passwords and data – including texts and emails – and recover location information.

The Cellebrite system has a cable for every phone on the market. Credit:Tessa Stevens

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Immigration Department joins a list of agencies using the tool, which includes the Department of Human Services and the Employment Department.

Meanwhile, data from the Department of Human Services – which includes Centrelink and Medicare – show the welfare body is slowly increasing its use of the technology in fraud investigations.