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FBI May Be Opening A Security Hole To Federal Agencies (computerworld.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the closing-one-door-opens-another dept.

Lucas123 writes: In its rush to gather information, the FBI blew its chance to retrieve data from the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino terrorists when it ordered his iCloud passcode to be reset shortly after the attacks. Now in its fervor to force Apple to create software that can break its own encryption algorithm, the FBI may be opening a security hole to federal agencies. Over the past four years, the federal government has largely shifted its use of mobile devices from Blackberry to iPhones. One major reason for that is -- you guessed it -- the strong native security. If Apple creates an iPhone skeleton key, it not only threatens the public's privacy, but the security of the federal government as well.

4 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. Yeah, it was security that motivated them... by MikeRT · · Score: 1, Interesting

    As opposed to the fact that most of the federal employees who got an iPhone just wanted one a lot more than a BlackBerry 10 phone. Which is a shame, really, because my Z10 is the best phone I've ever owned including my previous two iPhones. BlackBerry has the only MDM with an ATO from the DoD. If security were the primary motivation, they'd have standardized on BB10 phones with BlackBerry BES.

  2. Re: "skeleton key" by zieroh · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Except, of course, the court order specifically allows for Apple to NOT give the binaries to the FBI and the FBI requested it that way to address exactly that issue. But hey, I just read the writ, not the bullshit lies on the Internet.

    Okay, I'll bite.

    What happens the next time the FBI (or any other LEA) has an iPhone that they need information off of? The FBI has divulged that there already exist about a dozen phones that need breaking. They have also admitted -- in public testimony -- that this case would set a precedent.

    So please tell me, specifically: how exactly is this just about a single phone, when the actual head of the actual FBI has admitted that it is categorically NOT about a single phone?

    --
    People who say "sheeple" have about as much sophistication as an AOL user, and in fact are probably actually AOL users.
  3. NSA-mandated requirements defeat FBI, essentially by bsDaemon · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wrote something similar on this topic a few weeks ago for a blog post at work, though I went into more technical detail than TFA did:

    http://blog.acumensecurity.net...

  4. FBI is screwing themselves because... by LostMyBeaver · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As soon as they make it public that they can open any iPhone they can get a court order for, people with something to hide from them will move to using more secure applications which are written by companies or people the FBI can't so easily influence with the American legal system.

    Better yet, they'll move to using programs that are written by people who added security and wouldn't know how to hack them themselves.

    So, basically, all they're doing is educating the criminals to use technologies that are more secure written by companies outside of their jurisdiction.

    If they open this phone, it basically will guarantee they will never be able to get to "terrorist data" ever again.

    How come no one ever bitches about this? I bet you that 99% of all terrorists have moved to using something more secure by now.