A shooting in San Bernardino, California, took place on December the 3rd 2015 and resulted in 14 casualties. The terrorists were Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife. This history is not yet finished as Syed‘s locked iPhone 5C seems to be the key to solving this case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation claims that the smartphone contains significant data that could help the investigation. Agents are of the opinion that Syed Farook contacted other terrorists using his company iPhone. The problem is that the smartphone is locked by a 4-digit password which the FBI cannot break.
Is iPhone impossible to break?
The Agency‘s helplessness led them straight to Apple with a demand to create a backdoor (new iOS) that would allow for breaking in the terrorist‘s phone. This situation was quite problematic for Apple, as if they agreed to implement required changes in the form of new iOS, not only Syed‘s phone could be broken into but also any other updated device.
What were the required changes?
- to enter lock passcode electronically and not by tapping
- to remove security measure of deleting data from a device after 10 failed passcode attempts
Now this function may be disabled, but in new iOS it would not be available at all.
Final judgment?
Initially Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, categorically refused to do that, but the court ordered to create a modified iOS version and install it on the terrorist‘s phone. The deadline for Apple to take a stance is February 22, 2016. Legally there is nothing they can do, and the CEO published a letter to their clients in which he describes and explains this situation.
We can learn from it that Apple is ‘shocked and outraged by the deadly act of terrorism in San Bernardino‘ and the FBI asked them to solve technological issues. They helped as much as they could, provided requested data, and even ‘made Apple engineers available to advise the FBI‘, as they ‘have no sympathy for terrorists‘. But the U.S. government has asked for something they ‘simply do not have and is too dangerous to create. They have asked to build a backdoor to the iPhone‘. FBI claims that it would be used only this one time, exclusively on the iPhone 5C in question, but ‘in the wrong hands, this software would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone‘s physical possession.‘
The CEOs of Twitter and Google, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai respectively, stood up for Tim Cook and Apple. The voice of Google is of much importance as they are responsible for Android system used by millions of people all over the world. As commented by Pichai, companies very often make such data available to various security services like FBI as per legal orders. However, if the court requires Apple to hack users‘ devices, this constitutes a breach of their privacy.
Maybe McAfee can help?
John MacAfee is the creator of a popular antivirus named after him. He has offered free of charge help to the FBI in unlocking the iPhone 5C what would prevent Apple from implementing changes to new iOS. He claimed that, if he does not make it, he will eat his own shoe on a TV programme. McAfee writes that, with all due respect to Tim Cook and Apple, he works with the best hackers on the planet, who are legends. John also explains why they do not work for the FBI, ‘Because the FBI will not hire anyone with a 24-inch purple mohawk, 10-gauge ear piercings, and a tattooed face who demands to smoke weed while working and won‘t work for less than a half-million dollars a year‘. It is interesting whether FBI will use their services.
This whole case proves that not only devices from Apple but also all major brands are really well secured. Breaking their encryptions is simply impossible ‘ not only for serious agencies like FBI or CIA, but also for manufactures themselves. Will Apple break down under the pressure and create a backdoor operational system? Or maybe the owner of famous brand will find a different solution?