A new method used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to break into a locked iPhone 5C will soon become public news. According to outside tech experts and engineers from Apple, the FBI won’t be able to keep the method a secret for long.
After the statement by the FBI last week, Apple was no longer required to oblige with the courtroom request of helping to break into the locked iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. The FBI said that it had found a third party who was able to bypass the shooter’s phone’s passcode.
The new exploit poses a threat to the privacy of millions of iPhone users and will raise concerns regarding the security of Apple’s devices. Meanwhile, Apple is sure to announce when this security flaw is fixed, but that is only after the flaw is identified.
There is a good chance that the Government itself may press the FBI to share the new method with other law-enforcement cells to help close cold cases. If the Government should take no interest in the matter, local law-enforcement cells may approach the FBI independently.
An independent forensic contractor, Jonathan Zdziarski, who has helped law enforcement agencies break into the phones of offenders; said that if the FBI chooses to share this method with other agencies, its efficacy would be time-barred.
A charter by the White House directs that manufacturers be informed of security loopholes in their products and if the FBI still chooses to keep the method a secret, there are other ways it will come to light, continued Zdziarski along with the opinion of some Apple engineers.
Such exploits are sold for large payoffs to intelligence agencies and defense teams very often. An interesting part is that the payments for these exploits are made in tranches spread over a period.
It ensures the anonymity and exclusivity of the by-pass solution, which would simply be patched by the manufacturer as and when it is made public.
Featured Image: Wired
