DOJ Says iPhone Is So Secure They Can't Crack It

zacharye writes "In the five years since Apple launched the iPhone, the popular device has gone from a malicious hacker's dream to law enforcement's worst nightmare. As recounted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Technology Review blog, a Justice Department official recently took the stage at the DFRWS computer forensics conference in Washington, D.C. and told attendees that the beefed up security in iOS is now so good that it has become a nightmare for law enforcement."

Comments

sounds like a challenge

[circletimessquare]

(also article is a little too breathlessly enamored of apple: PR astroturf?)

And if you believe that...

[Anonymous Coward]

...I've got some "moon" rocks I'd like to sell you.

Honestly, this seems like a way to trick dumb criminals into thinking their information is secure just because they use an iPhone. If this were truly the case, and the DOJ does really have problems in dealing with iOS devices, I'd expect them to remain tight lipped about it.

TWO WORDS

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

iCloud Supoena.

So, the "remote control" is uncrackable? iCloud and Siri and "location awareness" with GSM, WiFi and GPS make the security of the actual device nearly an orthoganal proposition to any enforceable protection for the user or data.

When this is so clearly a form of misdirection, I can't help but wonder the purpose of a DOJ statement like his being made public. Which perception and behaviour are they trying to influence, and by whom?

Re:TWO WORDS

[CanHasDIY]

When this is so clearly a form of misdirection, I can't help but wonder the purpose of a DOJ statement like his being made public

Setup for a false flag operation:

- DOJ publicly claims Device X is secure from their snooping
- Suckers fall for the ploy and migrate to Device X, assuming it's safe from prying gov't eyes
- DOJ forces Device X's manufacturer, via NSL or similar devious means, to turn over user information.
- Device X's user has no idea what's going on, thanks to draconian EULA and ToS, until jackbooted thugs kick in the door.

It's quite brilliant, really. Or, would be, if not so obvious.

Re:TWO WORDS

[GrumpySteen]

You forgot possibility #4...

An Apple fanboy writes an article praising the iphone using out of context quotes from the CEO of Paraben (not the DoJ) saying there have been cases where Paraben couldn't defeat iPhone encryption and a a DoJ official talking about hard drives (not the iPhone) saying that "if you pull the power on a drive that is whole-disk encrypted you have lost any chance of recovering that data" (which isn't true, btw). Then a second fanboy reads said article and translates it to "iPhone is the DOJ's worst nightmare" and submits it to Slashdot where samzenpus demonstrates the usual lack of even the barest hint off fact-checking and gives us a headline like this one.

mod TFS

[AliasMarlowe]

TFA and TFS should be modded +5 Funny.
One suspects that there are back doors all over the iPhone, in addition to the various apps that have access to remarkable amounts of stored material and regularly send it home (or elsewhere). Otherwise its alleged impenetrability would hardly be promoted by law enforcement. It's like Brer Rabbit pleading "please don't throw me in the briar patch".

Re:mod TFS

[Anonymous Coward]

OT, but since song of the south was *banned* by disney, you could only get a copy if you went to where pirates hang out.

it was a great classic movie but disney capitulated to pressure (their own, in fact!) and banned the film.

uncle remus is not fit for modern audiences. it 'offends their sensibilities'. or something like that.

oh, btw, FUCK DISNEY.

Wrong, american audiences are offended. The rest of world is not offended by this B-series film.
And frankly speaking, if Song of the South is banned, then they should also ban Gone with the Wind and the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Stupid country, unable to cope rationally with your past.

Re:Government Computer Skillz

[Sparticus789]

I was at this conference, the running joke was "If it's encrypted, forget about it!" Everyone knows this. FDE and utilities like TrueCrypt will always prevent data recovery, save for the human factor of giving up the password.

Also at the conference was the strong difference between American and British/Australian law. In the U.S., the 5th Amendment prevents someone from being required to turn over their password. The Brits and Aussies do not have this problem, as the 5th amendment doesn't exist for them.

Political Correctness Censorship...

[cayenne8]

Wrong, american audiences are offended. The rest of world is not offended by this B-series film. And frankly speaking, if Song of the South is banned, then they should also ban Gone with the Wind and the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Stupid country, unable to cope rationally with your past.

Amen!

In the US, this is another example of political correctness gone overboard.

What the old saying about people not learning from mistakes in the past are bound to repeat them in the future?

Then again...look at Germany, banning most anything Nazi connected....I believe similar type bans happen in other EU countries too?

But seriously....this is a part of US history, and should not be suppressed. I remember seeing old Bugs Bunny cartoons...people got blown up into 'blackface'....if they even show these episodes on tv, these parts are usually edited...

Why? This is part of history, and people should know what attitudes were publicly held and presented to see how much we've changed over the years.