Justice Department cracks iPhone; withdraws legal action
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tashfeen Malik, left, and Syed Farook, as they passed through O’Hare International Airport in Chicago in July 2014. The husband and wife died on Dec. 2 in a gun battle with authorities several hours after their assault on a gathering of Farook’s colleagues in San Bernardino, Calif. The FBI said today it successfully used a mysterious technique without Apple Inc.’s help to hack into the iPhone used by Farook in a mass shooting in California (U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP, File)
This July 27, 2014, file photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows Tashfeen Malik, left, and Syed Farook, as they passed through O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. The husband and wife died on Dec. 2, 2015, in a gun battle with authorities several hours after their assault on a gathering of Farook’s colleagues in San Bernardino, Calif. The prosecutor’s office says information contained in an encrypted iPhone could help finally answer whether there was a third assailant in the San Bernardino terror attack that killed 14 people.The district attorney’s brief is among many weighing in on the fight between Apple and the federal government over unlocking the county-owned iPhone used by shooter Syed Farook. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP, File)
WASHINGTON » The FBI said today it successfully used a mysterious technique without Apple Inc.’s help to hack into the iPhone used by a gunman in a mass shooting in California, effectively ending a pitched court battle between the Obama administration and one of the world’s leading technology companies.
The government asked a federal judge to vacate a disputed order forcing Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone, saying it was no longer necessary. The court filing in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California provided no details about how the FBI did it or who showed it how. Apple did not immediately comment on the development.
The brief court notice left important questions unanswered: Who showed the FBI how to break into iPhones? How did the government bypass the security features that Apple has invested millions of dollars to build into its flagship product? Are newer iPhones vulnerable to the same hacking technique? Will the FBI share its information with scores of state and local police agencies that said they also need to break into the iPhones of criminal suspects? Will the FBI reveal to Apple how it broke its security? Did the FBI find anything useful on the iPhone?
The surprise development also punctured the temporary perception that Apple’s security might have been good enough to keep consumers’ personal information safe even from the U.S. government — with the tremendous resources it can expend when it wants to uncover something.
The FBI used the technique to access data on an iPhone used by gunman Syed Farook, who died with his wife in a gun battle with police after they killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December.
U.S. magistrate Sheri Pym of California last month ordered Apple to provide the FBI with software to help it hack into Farook’s work-issued iPhone. The order touched off a debate pitting digital privacy rights against national security concerns.
Apple was headed for a courtroom showdown with the government last week, until federal prosecutors abruptly asked for a postponement so they could test a potential solution that was brought to them by an unidentified party the previous weekend. Technical experts had said there might be a few ways an outsider could gain access to the phone, although the FBI had insisted repeatedly until then that only Apple had the ability to override the iPhone’s security.
The case drew international attention and highlighted a growing friction between governments and the tech industry. Apple and other tech companies have said they feel increasing need to protect their customers’ data from hackers and unfriendly intruders, while police and other government authorities have warned that encryption and other data-protection measures are making it more difficult for investigators to track criminals and dangerous extremists.
The withdrawal of court process also takes away Apple’s ability to legally request details on the method the FBI used. Apple attorneys said last week that they hoped the government would share that information with them if it proved successful.
The encrypted phone was protected by a passcode that included security protocols: a time delay and self-destruct feature that erased the phone’s data after 10 tries. The two features made it impossible for the government to repeatedly and continuously test passcodes in what’s known as a brute-force attack.
56 responses to “Justice Department cracks iPhone; withdraws legal action”
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No digital security or encryption is unbreakable, given enough brute force application of will, time and computing power. The way into the latest iPhone was well known among those who like to reverse engineer electronics.
Brute force was useless against Apple as after 10 tries, the system shut down, encrypting everything.
All Apple has to do is update their security software and the FBI hack is worthless. Apple can also install multiple layers, to include requiring the access code to update the software. This would prevent a fake update hack from lowering security.
First, “Apple” isn’t going to admit to the World that they already are in bed with The FBI. Second, The NSA/FBI/CIA, et al already have all the data they ever would need in “Utah”… This was all a charade to protect Apple so you wouldn’t think your trusty cell-phone provider isn’t compromised. No one is sitting there listening to your every conversation, but they can pull the “logs” anytime they want… That’s why I telephone my Cat and talk dirty…
You know, I wouldn’t put it past a disgruntled Apple insider to have offered his services free of charge to the FBI. It need not have even been someone with an ax to grind; someone could’ve fancied himself a true patriot for doing it. Then again, the government could have surreptitiously done it the old fashioned way and simply paid the asking price a hacker or cracker thought fair. Even Mother Teresa probably had her price.
And a young hacker who knows what they are doing, instead of the old fart FBI guys who should have retired years ago.
smh…you watch too much movies. Young ‘hackers’ use tools developed by ‘old fart’ programmers.
This whole thing should have never been published but kept secret. This hysterical publishing by the government of everything only helps the enemy to prepare their actions.
REMEMBER WHEN OUR PRESIDENT SAID,”YOU ARE EITHER WITH US, OR AGAINST US.”?
Pepperidge Farm remembers.
eh–no, but I do remember his last State of the Union speech when he said he has never seen our nation so politically divided. That coming form Mr. I Will Not Negotiate.
What President was that?
BUSH BOY.
Who, exactly, is “US”?
In retrospect, it would probably would have been better for Apple to quietly help the FBI than to have this plastered all over the news. Now everyone knows their security has been cracked. I wonder if they’ll go to court to force the government to tell them how they did it.
Trust me, Apple knew the steps it would take to break their security. They, like every other company that relies on digital security, relies on most people not having the time, inclination and raw computing power to do it.
People at Apple MADE the phone and already knew how to crack it, DUH! Most likely the FBI just found a reasonable engineer, slipped him a healthy bribe, and he cracked it open in minutes. No problem.
You guys missed my point. I had little doubt that the phone could be broken. What I said was that Apple would have been better off without the having it stated all over the news.
yes plus Apple opens themselves up to wrong full death lawsuits if anyone is killed while the government is spending time cracking the phone code.
islandsun – Sorry. Doesn’t work that way. You have been watching way too many TV shows.
Right, AhiPoke makes sense. Apple made it an issue, and lost. Fish = brain food!
Absolutely – Apple gambled and lost. If they went to court, they’d be the biggest hypocrites in the world. “Uh, we won’t give it to you, but you better give it to us.” Go home, Apple.
Or the FBI is lying here and they’re merely saving face.
The got in to the phone and found the guy’s grocery list and subscription information to adult websites. In his address book they found names and addresses of local take out restaurants. No real story, nothing to see here. Move along now…..
We’ll never really know what was on the phone, now will we?
The husband and wife who murdered many people in San Bernadino are TRUE Islamic terrorists. Unfortunately these terrorist create cells that work basically independent of one another and you are correct they will probably not get too many other terrorists. What it might show is the FAMILY of this couple knew what their son and his wife was up to and unfortunately the US will do what the Israelis do and that is “take out” the family of suicide bombers with a missile, and that includes children, elderly or anyone else nearby. It is quite effective that these killers of Israelis don’t just become martyrs but the consequence of their actions is their entire families end up dead.
The Israel Defense Forces have bulldozed and demolished dwellings that housed the families of people that have attacked Israel in some way, but I’m unaware the IDF has systematically exacted deadly retribution against family members. The IDF has indeed launched air attacks against buildings believed to house terrorists or terrorist activities, but they’ve often dropped leaflets warning of the impending attack well before it’s carried out. That innocent lives have nevertheless been lost I’ve no doubt, but the effort by the IDF to minimize civilian casualties is remarkable.
Israel will never publicly state their policy is to attempt to kill the family of any Palestinian suicide bomber who murders Israelis however the outcome is quite clear when they send guided missiles to the home of the suicide bomber which will kill the bomber’s family and any neighbors nearby. Maybe the suicide bomber thinks he will go to heaven with 72 virgins waiting for him but future suicide bombers definitely have to think twice when their entire family will not meet a similar positive fate.
Too bad, exclusivity is no longer a sales gimmick they can use in advertising their product. Second guessing their resistance not comply with the FBI request, backfired and exposed the vulnerability of their product. FBI won battle of wits!
FBI = 1
Apple = 0
Actually, I’m a huge Android fan, but Apple’s stance in this issue has really made me willing to consider purchasing an iPhone in the future. So you can add 1 for Apple there, buddy.
Have you considered the possibility that the FBI is lying here? That they never actually got it and are merely saying they did because they’d lose in court and set a precedent they couldn’t deal with?
Such a lie and conspiracy would eventually be uncovered. It’s too juicy a story not to be offered to the media for a price. Even an FBI agent or contractor can be bought.
Must have been an employee from Apple sneaked the FBI the secret to get the information.
How much was he/she paid?
Could be a zealot who put country second to none to protect the 1st?
Apple…you can go home now..you’re no longer essential.
Edward Snowden said early on that the government always had the ability to crack the encryption and this whole thing was to get Apple to cave in and allow the government
cover for what they had already been doing illegally. The NSA for example had the record of the calls made by the Islamic attackers in the San Bernadino killings but they of course
do not want to share that info with the FBI as it may lead to disclosure of other things, largely illegal that they are involved in spying on everyone. it was always pretty much a
dog and pony show for public consumption. The FBI probably realized that their court action was going to be unsuccessful so it did what they could have done from the beginning.
They just wanted to strong arm Apple and when that failed, they did what they always had the ability to do.
Other companies like Microsoft and many cell phone manufacturers caved long ago and have all built in back doors to their devices which allow the government to have full access and
control over these devices.
Phone records are easily obtainable from the service provider with a court warrant regardless of what you think the NSA is doing. Hardly a secret.
Soon, everybody will know how to invalidate this security feature. Computers are bad enough, but we may as well give up our cell phones and computers and get rid of bank accounts, etc. Moreover, it is unwise to give any information to governments or companies.
Unfortunately, you have to trust some of the people some of the time.
Yup, if by “everybody” you mean people with a graduate-level knowledge of things like hash functions, solid-state engineering, and encryption algorithms. Most people can barely turn their devices on and take a selfie.
Well, lets just say that anyone with the money can buy someone with the skills. That’s how most of the world manages tech anyway.
APPLE Sucks a big one and now look foolish! All ego!
Not at all. Apple made their stand and won. Now they will just update their software to render the FBI hack worthless. Nothing has a shorter life than a software hack.
Could be the FBI has insider in Apple for that specific purpose, yet be on Apple’s payroll. Not first time such things happen?
Likely that the FBI knew all along how to get the information they wanted out of the iPhone, but they wanted to win a legal precedent which would have further eroded the Fourth Amendment privacy rights which shredded the the “Patriot Act.”
meant to end the previous comment with “which were shredded by the “Patriot” Act.””
I bet they took it to Supergeeks and told them they forgot the password.
Nah, they just Googled it, or looked up how or contracted a technogeek they found on the dark or black web.
It sort of a given that any encryption can be compromised with enough time and effort and it seems that the FBI has done that
Yeah, as they used to say, “If you put a million monkeys at a million typewriters for a million years, eventually one is going to replicate a Shakespearean play.”
and now we can see the terrorists complete collection of selfies at the zoo. I think it may be highly embarrassing after all the fuss and they will be unlikely to release and more likely to redact what they found on the phones. Phones, which by the way, would have been transparent had the IT folks of the county that issued them bothered to install the MDM software they had already paid for.
All Apple has to do is update their security software and the FBI’s hack is worthless. Nothing is more fleeting than a software security hack.
What can be done once, can be done again and again. You can’t seriously think that after today no one’s up to the challenge? Some people live for tearing down what others put up. It’s an endless, and just talking now about Apple, perhaps soon to be a routine cycle.
Bite out of Apple! Change the logo.
She must have brain washed the guy to convince him she was pretty.