The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues the search regarding the San Bernardino shooting where 14 people resulted dead as well as 21 more people were injured. The FBI couldn’t unlock one of the shooter’s iPhone in order to retrieve useful information to the current case.
In recent events, Apple has been ordered to work for the United States government to create a sort of backdoor access to the security system in one of its iPhones. A federal magistrate judge ruled the tech company to help the FBI break into the locked iPhone 5C involved in the investigation of the San Bernardino shooting.
The court order states that Apple has to create a custom version of the iOS for an iPhone 5C used by Syed Farook, one of the responsible attackers for the San Bernardino shooting. However, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook rejected the FBI’s demand on previous occasions stating that the order would compromise the users privacy and personal information.
The demand could destroy the iPhone as it exists given that it would damage the tech company’s credibility, according to the attorney representing Apple, Ted Olson in its battle with the FBI. Now, federal investigators are working with San Bernardino technicians to figure a way to reset the password for the Apple iCloud account of the shooter.
“This is a Pandora’s box,” said Olson regarding the recent court order to Apple. “There is no limit into what the government could require Apple to do.”
Customer’s privacy at stake
Although authorities claim they’re not interested in a ‘master key’ that would unlock every cell phone the FBI decides is a threat, Apple strictly opposes due to the consequences it would bring. The software would help the FBI hack into the phone by bypassing a security time delay and a feature that erases all data after 10 consecutive failed attempts at the password input.
And while authorities’ argument stands strong, creating software to defeat the smartphone’s automatic wipe and allow a code hack could be described as having a ‘master key’. However, if the technology known as the mobile device management had been installed in Syed’s iPhone, the authorities would have been able to remotely unlock the iPhone for the FBI.
And although the service only cost $4 per month, the shooter didn’t have it on its phone, as well as he didn’t have a Touch ID feature. It’s worth noticing that if the battle between the FBI and Apple continues, the case would be up to the U.S Supreme Court to decide.
Source: The LA Times