“Apple Inc. suffered one major casualty in its legal victory over the FBI: bragging rights over the iPhone’s security,” Alex Webb reports for Bloomberg. “”
“The FBI’s decision to abandon its effort to force Apple to help break into a terrorist’s handset marks a win for the company. Yet the agency’s claim that it found a way to hack into the device via an anonymous third party deals a blow to customers’ faith in the iPhone’s ability to protect their information,” Webb reports. “‘It’s not the best news for Apple,’ said Chris McClean, a data-security researcher at Forrester Research Inc. ‘The Apple brand takes a little bit of a hit here. Because we don’t have details, customers are still going to question whether or not their device is safe. If one company can get into it then potentially that exploit is reusable for any device.”'”
“The judge presiding over the case must now decide whether or not to accede to the FBI’s request to end the case. Apple’s lawyers said last week that they would expect the government to outline successful methods employed to crack the phone,” Webb reports. “Closing the case would impede the company’s ability to get that information. Under a relatively new process known as an equities review however, the FBI may be obligated to reveal the details unless it can show administration officials that there’s a substantial national security need to keep the flaw secret.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The U.S. government and in particular, FBI Director James Comey, lied all along. That, or they’re just incompetent.
Using the court process and an antiquated law to accomplish the FBI’s goal was especially inappropriate in this situation given that Congress and the White House were actively engaged on the issue. The fact that the FBI ultimately found an alternative solution suggests that it did not conduct full due diligence before filing the lawsuit. — U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu
U.S. Citizens: Never forget that you funded the FBI’s purchase of this iPhone backdoor and the iPhone’s contents. DEMAND TO SEE WHAT YOU PAID FOR.
Hey, FBI: We want to see those pix of cafeteria trays that we paid for!
SEE ALSO:
Apple responds to FBI: ‘This case should have never been brought’ – March 29, 2016
If they dismantled the phone and read the data off the chips, then I consider that to be a non issue, with little to do with privacy or security. That is no different from a house warrant where they go in and riffle though your drawers.
Getting the same info by sniffing in a public place, or sending in a piece of malware is what would bother me.
This assumes that the whole ‘we can crack this iPhone’ was real and not just a graceful exit/way out for the FBI.
They may have claimed cracking the phone, just to harm Apple. For that reason requiring full disclosure of the hacking method seems essential for proving or disproving the phone was successfully hacked.
I think it’s better if Apple are not told how the hack was achieved. Apple constantly works on improving security and has accelerated the pace recently. If the FBI revealed the method to Apple, then there could well be an obligation or restriction stopping Apple from defeating that exploit.
On the other hand, if Apple independently happens to close off that exploit by independently beefing up security, then that’s fair game.
There are a number of reasons why it was a bad idea to bring this case. Perhaps the biggest drawback is that all the tech press have now explained to everybody the importance of choosing a complex password and Apple is encouraging customers to use them. Future attempts to get into locked iPhones are likely to be much more difficult than it was with Farook’s iPhone.
In the end, what the FBI accomplished was The Streisand Effect. By drawing attention to citizen device security, device designers/manufacturers will be STRENGTHENING their built-in security. Oops.
AND device users have become more aware of the hundreds of various encryption programs available to them, apart from what is provided by their device designers/manufacturers. Those with the tech savvy will be strengthening their own device security. Oops.
That’s two more reasons why:
‘This case should have never been brought’
In the end, who benefits from this case? We The People as well as Apple. I for one am grateful.
Meanwhile, I strongly suggest, again, that FBI Director James Comey resign. I suggest ALL US civil servants who can’t read, support and defend the US Constitution resign, from the US President on down. That’s the kindest wish I can offer to such people.
I have a feeling there won’t be any worth while data on the phone anyways. But I hope Apple is able to find out how they got in so they can make there security that much better.
Is the media fucken stupid? Didn’t EVERY encryption and security expert say that there was a way to break into this phone and just about any other device if you had it in your physical possession?
It’s easy to crack an iPhone. Just drop it on a hard surface.
As I just posted under another article, people have to keep this in perspective. This was an older iPhone. Even Apple brought that up. It is potentially hackable in ways the new ones are not. So ramifications here may be less of less concern than many are thinking.
(Or not.)