FBI Tells Apple They Don't Need Their Geek's Help

Joe Guy · Post by **Joe Guy** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 11:44 pm

Department of Justice drops Apple case after FBI cracks iPhone
By Sean Sposito
Updated 4:05 pm, Monday, March 28, 2016

The Department of Justice on Monday announced it was dropping an effort to have Apple defeat privacy safeguards built into its software after it succeeded in reading data off of a phone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook.

Efforts to bypass that device’s pass code without Apple’s intervention proved successful, said the Department of Justice.

The iPhone’s operating system is designed to prevent such attempts, but security researchers have identified some weaknesses in that software.

The Department of Justice announced last week that it had obtained technical help from an unnamed party, prompting it to ask the court to postpone a hearing originally scheduled for last Tuesday on an order the government was seeking to compel Apple’s assistance.

It wasn’t immediately clear the methods that the “outside party” took to read the data.

“As the government noted in its filing today, the FBI has now successfully retrieved the data stored on the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone and therefore no longer requires the assistance from Apple required by this Court Order,” said DOJ spokeswoman Melanie Newman. “It remains a priority for the government to ensure that law enforcement can obtain crucial digital information to protect national security and public safety, either with cooperation from relevant parties, or through the court system when cooperation fails. We will continue to pursue all available options for this mission, including seeking the cooperation of manufacturers and relying upon the creativity of both the public and private sectors.”

In February, a federal magistrate in Riverside, Calif. ordered Apple to write software altering the iPhone’s security protections, which would help federal agents more easily bypass that phone’s encryption.

Apple had contended that such a measure would give the government a “dangerous power” to weaken security protections in devices used by hundreds of millions of people.

The Cupertino company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Newman said that the FBI is currently reviewing the information on the phone, “consistent with standard investigatory procedures.”

The government’s withdrawal in this case does not mean that the battle over encryption is over, said security researcher Dan Kaminsky, who has publicly supported Apple’s stance in the San Bernardino case.

“It’s not merely that the war is continuing,” he said. “Damage has been done. The largest technology company in the world just had to spend an enormous amount of its resources and attention not making better products, not making more secure products, but fighting off a demand for insecurity.”

source

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:37 am

Efforts to bypass that device’s pass code without Apple’s intervention proved successful, said the Department of Justice.

I am both delighted and relieved to see that the US government has access to greater technical capability than an obstinate private company.

This sends an important message to the the enemies of this country that they cannot rely on the foolish arrogance of a single corporation to protect their communications and aid their operations.

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:47 am

Joe Guy wrote:
The iPhone’s operating system is designed to prevent such attempts, but security researchers have identified some weaknesses in that software.

They turned it ff and then on again?

rubato · Post by **rubato** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 1:08 am

That's Microsoft.

Yrs,
Rubato

Joe Guy · Post by **Joe Guy** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 1:10 am

They probably realized that it didn't require a password to open it.

BoSoxGal · Post by **BoSoxGal** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 1:21 am

I'm guessing they could break into the phone all along, and just hoped to get legal authority to compel Apple to assist them. Precedent is a dangerous thing . . .

RayThom · Post by **RayThom** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 1:57 am

BoSoxGal wrote:I'm guessing they could break into the phone all along, and just hoped to get legal authority to compel Apple to assist them. Precedent is a dangerous thing . . .

My take -- Apple supplied their own "black op" programmer to crack the code which gives them plausible deniability and gets them out of a horribly protracted Federal case which would have revealed more than they wanted. And the public will rejoice knowing that their personal data is safe and secure. If you perceive you are secure... then you ARE secure. It works for the government more often than not.

Gob · Post by **Gob** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 2:05 am

rubato wrote:That's Microsoft.

Yrs,
Rubato

oh god....

Crackpot · Post by **Crackpot** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 2:11 am

It wouldn't surprise me if it was Apple that found the security flaw and supplied the information to the govt (which was likly fixed in the recent patch)

rubato · Post by **rubato** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 4:42 pm

Gob wrote:
rubato wrote:That's Microsoft.

Yrs,
Rubato

oh god....

Yes, child?

yrs,
rubato

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 4:54 pm

If rubato is God, then I'm signing up with

rubato · Post by **rubato** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 7:00 pm

Lord Jim wrote:
Efforts to bypass that device’s pass code without Apple’s intervention proved successful, said the Department of Justice.
I am both delighted and relieved to see that the US government has access to greater technical capability than an obstinate private company.

This sends an important message to the the enemies of this country that they cannot rely on the foolish arrogance of a single corporation to protect their communications and aid their operations.

Awww that's sweet. Even Big Brother needs love!

Pucker up, Pucker up
Pucker up and kiss it
for safety always pucker up!

yrs,
rubato

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 8:07 pm

Pucker up, Pucker up
Pucker up and kiss it
for safety always pucker up!

No, I'd never want to horn in on your routine rube...

It's one of the very few things you do well...

Bicycle Bill · Post by **Bicycle Bill** » Tue Mar 29, 2016 10:51 pm

Unlocked iPhone "Useless" After FBI Spills Glass of Water On It

-"BB"-

BoSoxGal · Post by **BoSoxGal** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:59 am

Just drop it in a bag with uncooked rice overnight.

oldr_n_wsr · Post by **oldr_n_wsr** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 1:03 pm

BoSoxGal wrote:Just drop it in a bag with uncooked rice overnight.

Desiccant works too.

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 8:58 am

And in the world class chutzpah department:

Apple wants the FBI to reveal how it hacked the San Bernardino killer's iPhone

he FBI first wanted Apple to provide a way to hack into one of the San Bernadino shooters’ iPhones. Apple said no, the two fought in court and, ultimately, the FBI dropped the case. It said it found another way into the iPhone without the help of Apple.

Now Cupertino is flipping the tables.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Apple is now requesting that the FBI provide data on how it broke into the iPhone. Ultimately, it seems, this is to further protect the privacy of consumers, and Apple probably wants to fix whatever hole the FBI found. Except, since the FBI had such a hard time getting information from Apple in the first place, the government agency isn’t going to make it easy to get that information.

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2016/03/30 ... ne-hacked/

Unfriggin' believable... just when I thought these bastards couldn't get any more arrogant...

Here's what the FBI response should be:

Econoline · Post by **Econoline** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 10:03 am

So do you not think that Apple (or any other tech company) has a legitimate business interest in keeping its products safe from hackers?

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 10:58 am

I think the executives at Apple, (or any other American company, or company that earns significant income in the US) have an absolute moral, ethical, and legal obligation to cooperate with the US government when there is a serious and real interest involved in thwarting terrorist attacks. (As there clearly was in this case.)

Rather than meet this obligation, they preferred to send the message to the terrorists that owning an Apple iPhone would be a good way to thwart law enforcement from finding out what they are up to, and shamefully chose to shirk and fight doing the right thing.

So yes, I say fuck 'em. Their behavior was absolutely disgraceful. I have exactly the same level of concern for the well being of Apple as they had for helping to prevent future terrorist attacks. Which is to say none at all.

I wish Tim Cook had been compelled to explain his position face-to-face to the family members of the 14 innocent people who were slaughtered in San Bernadino. But I'm sure he's far too much of a moral coward to ever do anything like that.

Jarlaxle · Post by **Jarlaxle** » Fri Apr 01, 2016 12:21 pm

Crackpot wrote:It wouldn't surprise me if it was Apple that found the security flaw and supplied the information to the govt (which was likly fixed in the recent patch)

I recall the phone in question (an early iPhone 5) was two (soon to be three) full generations short of Apple's current security.

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