After the FBI abandoned any legal measures to force Apply to help it crack the San Bernardino shooter’s phone, FBI Director James Comey said the agency would seek a way to hack the device using other means. “The tool sparked tremendous nationwide debate about both the proper balance between national security and privacy in personal communications, and the degree to which law enforcement should be empowered to compel access to encrypted and protected devices”.
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In February, a federal magistrate judge in California ordered Apple to write new software for the FBI that would allow agents to bypass a security feature that would lock the phone after 10 incorrect attempts to guess its passcode. Apple CEO Tim Cook called the order “an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers”.
The two sides were headed for a court showdown when Justice Department officials revealed that a party outside the USA government brought it a potential solution to unlock the phone.
Comey has said that the exploit “works on a narrow slice of phones”, and probably would not be useful for unlocking anything other than an iPhone 5C running the operating system iOS 9, the type of phone Farook used. The suit cites media reports as saying investigators did not find any links to foreign extremist groups.
The FBI has yet to name the outside party or the cost involved.
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Nonetheless, the FBI refused the records requests on grounds that releasing any information might hinder the investigation. News stories displayed here appear in our category for Business and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization. For the protection of AP and its licensors, content may not be copied, altered or redistributed in any form. Doing so may result in civil and/or criminal penalties. Update, September at 11:21 a.m. PT:Adds more background information.
