Apple Says Apple ID Password on Shooter's iPhone Changed in Government Possession, Losing Access to Data

[MrAverigeUser]

Well Apple says they don't keep the key but there is no proof of that. It would really be surprised if they didn't. Personally I wouldn't believe anything that Mr. Cook said; he just does not come across as trustworthy.

You are wrong!

I am not known to be fanboy of apple - but I have to defend them now:

A central point of their encryption method is that every iphone gets its VERY OWN encryption key in the factory and that there is NO storing/documentation of the individual key anywhere else nor a sort of "general encryption key" at all.

BTW: Western Digital implemented a extremely weak "encryption" key for their external (and surley also internal) HDD in "perfect cooperation" with the NSA/CIA/FBI : activists decovered that the so-called "encryption software" of Western Digital always and automatically generates extremely weak encryption keys which can easily be cracked within some minutes. And this has already be done not only by US-authorities, also many criminals were very thankful to have easy access to other people's data...

As for Cloud data storage: this is absolutely a no-go!
As you see even apple does nothing to protect their customer's data - the only secure way of backups is your own local "cloud" in your own house - using REAL encryption developed by independent developers like PGP and so on.... And NOTHING else.

The cloud provider of Edward Snowden was put under pressure by the US-authorities, because he had a sure encryption for his customers data. He refused to do decryption and also to transfer the encrypted data.

He preferred to erase ALL his customers data (after informing them to rapidly do backups somewhere else). Then he shut down his setvice and so destroyed his professional existance rather than treat his customers and then he left the USA. HE is a real hero for me. As are whistle blower like manning and Snowden and people working for wikileaks and so on.

 

[thekev]

Well Apple says they don't keep the key but there is no proof of that. It would really be surprised if they didn't. Personally I wouldn't believe anything that Mr. Cook said; he just does not come across as trustworthy.

It would be infeasible to supply such proof, and this would be a liability for Apple more than anything. I don't see why its CEO or any of its management team would want this.

 

[cwt1nospam]

The whole iCloud backup thing sounds like a desperate red herring put out by Apple. Even Apple says there were no iCloud backup since I think Oct 19, so mist likely the automatic backup has been disabled in the phone. If that is the case then the fact that the password was changed would have no significance, since it would never do automatic backups in any case.

No, a desperate red herring is the FBI claiming that this would be a "one time" hack when there's already a long line of police departments waiting to see if they can have their turn.

The iCloud backup is the only real hope. It's a file (or files) that may or may not be encrypted, and stored on a drive somewhere. If encrypted, you can brute force the encryption without worrying about the file being deleted. Asking them to break their product is unacceptable and extremely dangerous.

 

[dk001]

The whole iCloud backup thing sounds like a desperate red herring put out by Apple. Even Apple says there were no iCloud backup since I think Oct 19, so mist likely the automatic backup has been disabled in the phone. If that is the case then the fact that the password was changed would have no significance, since it would never do automatic backups in any case.

If you look at the documentation both the county and FBI posted, the use of the iCloud backup feature for that specific device was sporadic. The change of the password initiated by the FBI was likely for a good reason (preclude anyone else from getting in?) however it also "killed" their best shot at getting a current backup image to browse through. It appears they jumped the gun before consulting on the next best step with Apple.

 

[halledise]

[read my prior post first]

given the seriousness of the case in point - and don't get me wrong, I love Apple and always have - please assist the FBI in this one particular situation and stop trying to assert the moral high ground.
with the current posturing by Tim Cook - sorry, but he's being a dick.