There's more coming to the high-profile Apple vs.
FBI case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) might
not need Apple's assistance to unlock iPhone 5C
that was belonged to San Bernardino shooter Syed
Rizwan Farook.
If you have followed the San Bernardino case
closely, you probably know everything about the
ongoing encryption battle between the FBI and
Apple.
In short, the US Department of Justice (DOJ)
wants Apple to help the FBI create a backdoored
version of its iOS operating system that could let
it access data on a locked iPhone 5C belonged to
Farook.
Apple, meanwhile, is evident on its part , saying
that the FBI wants the company to effectively
create the "software equivalent of cancer" that
would likely open up all iPhones to malicious
hackers.
FBI to Apple: We'll Unlock iPhone by
Our Own
Now the Feds say they may be able to crack the
iPhone without the Apple's assistance after all.
In a court filing submitted on Monday in a
central California federal court, the DOJ
requested a motion to cancel a Tuesday hearing
and to suspend the and proceedings at least until
next month.
United States Magistrate Sheri Pym, the judge
who previously ordered Apple to help the FBI
unlock the encrypted iPhone , granted the
request.
The cancelled hearing is because the FBI wants
some time to test an alternate method for
unlocking the shooter's iPhone that will not
involve Apple building a backdoored iOS version.
though the DOJ declined to comment on who is
providing help to the FBI, this doesn't mean the
case has been closed because the Feds still have to
make sure their new technique will work.
"On Sunday, March 20, 2016, an outside party
demonstrated to the FBI a possible method for
unlocking Farook's iPhone," the motion reads.
"Testing is required to determine whether it is
a [feasible] method that'll not compromise data
on Farook's iPhone. If the method is viable, it
should eliminate the need for the assistance
from Apple set forth in the All Writs Act Order
in this case."
FBI Wants Encryption Backdoor to
Unlock More iPhones
Probably the Feds already had this alternative
method with themselves, but they were seeking
Apple's help to create a backdoor for them so that
they could exploit it to solve other pending cases,
as the agency is seeking Apple's help to unlock
iPhones in at least nine other cases.
But, there are some points the FBI must keep in
its mind before trying their alternate way to get
into Farook's iPhone 5C.
1. If you'll copy the hard drive, all the data
from the iPhone will remain scrambled,
which will be of no use.
2. If you'll enter 10 wrong passwords,
whole iPhone will be wiped off, which
means if your method gets failed, you'll
never recover the data from the
shooter's iPhone.
However, if the FBI method isn't able to unlock
Farook's iPhone, the agency will again have to go
back to the court to enforce the order on Apple.
Who, according to you, is this outside party?
Hacker?, Security researcher? Or some Cyber-
forensic expert? Let us know in the comments
below.
Posted via Blogaway
0 comments: