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FBI Paid More Than $1 Million For San Bernardino 'Hack' (cbsnews.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the right-tool-for-the-job dept.

An anonymous reader writes: FBI Director James Comey has indicated the bureau paid more than $1 million for the method used to hack into the iPhone 5c belonging to one of the San Bernadino shooters. How did he allude to it? He said the FBI paid more money than he would make in the time left as FBI director. He makes just under $200,000 a year based on public files and has over seven years left on his term. "How much did you pay for this software?" Comey was asked. "A lot," he said. "More -- let's see. More than I will make in the remainder of this job, which is seven years and four months, for sure," Comey said. "And so it's a -- but it was in my view, worth it, because it's a tool that helps us with a 5c running iOS 9, which is a bit of a corner case, increasingly as the devices develop and move on to the 6 and 6s and whatnot and iOS's change, but I think it's very, very important that we get into that device." Comey said.

8 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. Guess We'll Never Know... by sycodon · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...what they found on the phone.

    My guess....porn.

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    1. Re:Guess We'll Never Know... by JackieBrown · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The government is just pissed Apple beat them in the war of public opinion and that they said no to the government.

      That is why we keep hearing them say now that Apple devices are not secure and trying to hurt Apple in a new war of public opinion.

      I wish there would be a push back against the government's use of Apple phones and make public officials give them up since they are apparently so "insecure."

    2. Re:Guess We'll Never Know... by Hussman32 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Funny, but it's even worse...they confirmed that they did not contact other people during the 18 minute window that they were trying to close, and they called it useful information.

      They knew that the shooters went out of their way to destroy every single electric device they owned, yet they demanded to know that the phone was not used for unlawful purposes. And they paid someone a fortune who probably looked up how to do it on /.

      That's not a good use of taxpayer money to make a point.

      --
      "Who are you?" "No one of consequence." "I must know." "Get used to disappointment."
  2. How many hackers? by JoeMerchant · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Assuming these guys are really, really good, and worth a billable rate of $250/hr - if they pulled off the job in under 90 days, were there 10+ of them on the job, or did the FBI just pay a super premium for a high profile case to make a political statement?

    1. Re:How many hackers? by alvinrod · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's the government. When you're used to $500 hammers, a $1 million phone hack hardly matters. Part of the cost could simply be that whatever was done would make it obvious how the hack works so it's really only a one-time sale for the person doing the hacking.

      But considering that the hacked device yielded no useful information, I think the only statement that the FBI has made is that they're fucking idiots.

    2. Re:How many hackers? by tlhIngan · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Assuming these guys are really, really good, and worth a billable rate of $250/hr - if they pulled off the job in under 90 days, were there 10+ of them on the job, or did the FBI just pay a super premium for a high profile case to make a political statement?

      Or they paid the going rate.

      iOS vulnerabilities and zero-days really are that expensive, because there's so few of them. I mean, there was one last year - 3 prizes of $1M each to break iOS, and only one of the three available was claimed.

      It's why Apple doesn't bother with bug bounties - if people are willing to pay $1M for it, even a $100,000 bug bounty is too little.

      It's not that iOS is bug-free, far from it. It's really because Apple has hardened the entry points that results in breaking in requiring an elaborate set of steps and timing to get in. And the perceived value of the data.

      The FBI didn't overpay, they just paid the going rate.

  3. Lies by ArchieBunker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Nearly everything the FBI says so far is a lie. Why should I believe this statement?

    --
    Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  4. Like the FBI cares... by s.petry · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's OUR money they paid, not THEIR money. The FBI gets it's money from tax payers, and exists because of tax payers.

    This is the same issue with all of Government really. The Government is always better off when they are not accountable for spending. I just wonder if they will use this as ammo to convince tax payers that we need a bigger GAO to investigate this incident and others just like it.

    Before you say it, Anarchy is not the only or even best alternative. There is a whole lot of space between anarchy and our current overly bloated Government.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.