Even if the US government forces Apple to help break into the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, the company reportedly has plans to design its new devices to prevent it from being technically capable of assisting the feds in future cases. Unfortunately for Apple and its privacy-conscious customers, this change would only go so far in protecting companies from being forced to write software for the government if the company loses its case in court.
Read more: Apple's Motion to Vacate the FBI's Order: Full Text
According to a report Wednesday night from the New York Times, the company's public spat with the FBI over encryption has accelerated efforts to improve its security even more. If youre just tuning in, Apple is currently resisting a court order that would force it to write new software that bypasses security features in iOS specifically, mechanisms that wipe the device after 10 unsuccessful passcode entry attempts and introduce delays between each attempt. With those features removed, the FBI would be able to brute force the device by trying every possible passcode combination.
The court order in the San Bernardino case hinges on the government installing a special version of iOS through the iPhone's Device Firmware Upgrade (DFU) mode, a recovery mode that can be reached by pressing multiple buttons while turning the phone on........... In other words, Apple would lock itself out from modifying the phones operating system and disabling security features by changing how the device boots at the hardware level. Apple is said to be working on unhackable iPhone, is how CNET put it.
[It seens the old question "could God make a rock so heavy he can't lift it is not dead :-) Other headlines at Vice: Apples Legal Argument Calls the Director of the FBI a Liar, in as Many Words; Apple Reveals The Manpower And Time It Would Take To Comply With FBIs Order; Confirmed: Carnegie Mellon University Attacked Tor, Was Subpoenaed By Feds; Confirmed: Carnegie Mellon University Attacked Tor, Was Subpoenaed By Feds. NN]
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