“As the head of software engineering at Apple, I think nothing is more important than the safety of all of our customers,” Craig Federighi writes in an Op-Ed for The Washington Post. “Even as we strive to deliver delightful experiences to users of iPhones, iPads and Macs, our team must work tirelessly to stay one step ahead of criminal attackers who seek to pry into personal information and even co-opt devices to commit broader assaults that endanger us all. Sadly, these threats only grow more serious and sophisticated over time.”
“The encryption technology built into today’s iPhone represents the best data security available to consumers,” Federighi writes. “And cryptographic protections on the device don’t just help prevent unauthorized access to your personal data — they’re also a critical line of defense against criminals who seek to implant malware or spyware and to use the device of an unsuspecting person to gain access to a business, public utility or government agency.”
“That’s why it’s so disappointing that the FBI, Justice Department and others in law enforcement are pressing us to turn back the clock to a less-secure time and less-secure technologies,” Federighi writes. “They have suggested that the safeguards of iOS 7 were good enough and that we should simply go back to the security standards of 2013. But the security of iOS 7, while cutting-edge at the time, has since been breached by hackers. What’s worse, some of their methods have been productized and are now available for sale to attackers who are less skilled but often more malicious.”
“Security is an endless race — one that you can lead but never decisively win. Yesterday’s best defenses cannot fend off the attacks of today or tomorrow. Software innovations of the future will depend on the foundation of strong device security,” Federighi writes. “We cannot afford to fall behind those who would exploit technology in order to cause chaos. To slow our pace, or reverse our progress, puts everyone at risk.”
Read more in the full article – very highly recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: Not only is it disappointing, it’s unconstitutional.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Let’s go back to Windows XP security, that’s enough. You can read millions of online articles on the interwebs that assert that, so it must be true.
“Joy of Tech” is truly hillarious today:
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/index.html
Unfortunately, it is quite a challenge for a judge to beef up in their IT security knowledge in such a short time in order to fully understand when FBI is pulling wool over eyes…
this is par for the course. If you travel Europe you will notice their products are all better than hours because our government lets US citizens be victims of shoddy hucksterism – it’s how the frontier kept pushing west.
Disappointing and unconstitutional according to MDN and many others, but really not surprising.
All the evidence is there and left unchecked they will continue to grow as a threat to the security of the planet grows. It’s in their DNA (Destructive Nuclear Arsenal).
At least he put it in the Washington Post and Congressman are more likely to notice it.
Now it’s even more clear why the FBI should not be in charge of iPhone security. Anyone still not siding with Apple after reading this—and all the others like it—obviously does not have the safety and protection of the people at heart.