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FBI Plans to Keep iPhone Hacking Method Secret [Update: Confirmed]
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Yes, it was mishandled by both Apple and the FBI.
The show is just starting. The encryption issue is not going away, more likely it will become more of an issue for law enforcement and national security in the next several years. Court cases are still pending, and Congress has draft legislation moving to the front burner. The White House can't decide what position to take because there are some groups within the Executive Branch that advocate for strong encryption (e.g., Dept. of Commerce on business grounds, Dept. of State on humanitarian grounds) and others that advocate for some type of government access (DOJ, FBI on law enforcement and national security grounds). Both sides can make compelling arguments.
We are just at the beginning of this, so buckle up, it's going to be an interesting ride.
You might be surprised. I know several non-tech people that have an iPhone 5 or iPhone 4. It works for them and what they do and since they are not into tech then they will not likely upgrade to a new iPhone.
What next...Cheney putting issuing an orange alert?
Our own government IS the terrorist.
The founding fathers are rolling over in their graves.
Our own government IS the terrorist.
The founding fathers are rolling over in their graves.
Agree, the whole thing was mishandled and primarily by Apple. Coupled with a possible quarterly revenue decline for the first time in what seems like forever, this suspicion of Apple not knowing how the FBI cracked the phone is bad news in Cupertino.
You assume, of course, that everything after the 5s is rock solid...the article before this has Apple pushing out the 3rd patch for iOS 9.3 to beta testers today so I wouldn't assume that at all.
The American people pay taxes so the government can operate these types of organizations. If the American people want to know how certain actions were done, or why, they have a right to know.
3rd "patch" for beta testers??? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot... You have absolutely no idea how the beta process works do you??
You have to be from Texas or the South.
But yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if it is handled already.
I'm increasingly convinced the FBI just found some guy selling watches under a bridge somewhere to do this. "I don't know nuttin', and you don't know nuttin'-- understood?"
Would have saved a lot more money if Apple didn't play games, double standards by sharing with China every time they asked (we've posted links before), and so on... There's no need to swear.
Maybe Apple could buy the code? I mean, they DID hire the guy who first figured out how to jailbreak (who has since apparently been unable to prevent the phone from being jailbroken by others...)
I think Apple has handled this situation fine.
The US Government now has access to a vulnerability in an older model iPhone that Apple no longer sells. Apple "failed" to make this device safe from being hacked in this way. But their failure was something they did years ago, and not something they could have fixed on this particular phone. On top of that Apple already knew that the architecture of this phone's hardware was vulnerable. Newer iPhones have a different security architecture.
From my perspective, Apple's goal in this case was not to keep the FBI out of the iPhone 5C. If the vulnerability existed, no amount of press conferences, interviews, or even furious coding on Apple's part would have made a difference.
Apple's goal in this case was to prevent the government from legally forcing Apple to find and exploit the vulnerability. So far, the government has backed down.
Apple's primary ongoing security goal is to keep Apple's customers' data safe from attack, even by experts who know the system. They are continuing along that path.
The longer Apple can keep the government from getting a legal precedent that keeps Apple from pursuing its primary security goal, the safer Apple's customers' data will be.
Apart from those who can't afford to get the latest shiny model every year. Why would terrorists want to help fund Apple anymore than possible?
Those EU-style data protection laws are starting to make more sense. The FBI sees everyone else's privacy as an inconvenience. They fell all over themselves insisting this was all about "getting into just this one phone". They got into that one phone. So they should be happy to tell Apple what they know about the hack - I highly doubt the FBI met a guy in a coffee shop and said, "no, here, take this phone, no hurry, let us know someday if you get anything" - they watched carefully, they asked questions, they know some details. But they downplay the heck out of it to the administration, "no, absolutely nothing here to even make it worth asking around officially" - because everyone is worth investigating, except the investigators. The FBI cares more about their ability to spy on the public than they do about public safety.
Think about this: how many members of congress have an use iPhones? Sure would put FBI funding in a strong position if they had access to every congress member's secrets.
Think about this: how many members of congress have an use iPhones? Sure would put FBI funding in a strong position if they had access to every congress member's secrets.
At least after the lawsuit from 2010. Prior to then Apple didn't care one jot if apps sent or sold customer data without their knowledge or consent. Apple still only cares about how it can profit from your data. That's all it cares about. Otherwise Apple would have done something about that "flaw" in the first place, Apple is so full of geniuses it seems impossible they could overlook something so obvious, surely?
What an insane piece of twisted logic. Had "Apple helped" there wouldn't have been a need for the FBI to hire a hacker.
Apple's (very valid) point all along was that helping the FBI create a back door was the wrong thing to do.
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I agree, for the first few years of iPhone, Apple was focused more on functionality than security.
I for one will never buy another iPhone 3G again.
You are making my point....had Apple helped the FBI with a backdoor (which they said didn't exist), Apple would be the holder of the keys. Instead Apple refused...FBI hired a hacker that found a backdoor that "didn't exist" and now Apple wants to know how. Rather than create the backdoor, give to FBI, change the locks and have FBI come at some point again....rinse and repeat. Either way, Apple would have been in control. Now the FBI is in control. Apple has no idea if this hack only works on the iOS that very phone has or if it's an exploit that works on all versions.
I agree with their stance, but it has since bit them to an extent.
So let me get this straight, they bought something and don't know how it works?
They got no smarter out of the exercise?
Who really believes the fbi didn't require a technical explanation?
Or was this a case of not wanting to know, or plausible deniability?
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A design flaw is not a backdoor.
They got no smarter out of the exercise?
Who really believes the fbi didn't require a technical explanation?
Or was this a case of not wanting to know, or plausible deniability?
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A design flaw is not a backdoor.
FBI should just keep everything secret because any time something comes out, they look like fools.