Several news organizations including USA Today, Vice and AP have filed a lawsuit against the FBI in an effort to learn more about who provided the tool that allowed the FBI to hack into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. "Through this action, the News Organizations seek to compel the FBI to provide records of the publicly-acknowledged business transaction that resulted...
Maybe the FBI should have asked the LAPD for help.
The FBI didn't spend quite as much as originally reported on its unlock for the iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. According to a new report citing "several U.S. government sources," it actually cost under $1 million. Last month, Reuters reported that the FBI paid more than $1.3 million to third-party hackers to get into Farook's smartphone, which contained no...
The FBI, which recently hacked into an iPhone owned by one of the San Bernardino shooters, will not inform Apple how it went about doing so. This is the latest news in the arm-wrestling match between both parties and, unfortunately, means Apple may not know about an open security hole. "The FBI knows how to use the phone-hacking tool it bought to open the iPhone 5c but doesn't...
The U.S. Justice Department has dropped its case against Apple after law enforcement agencies in New York obtained an iPhone unlock via other means. The move comes less than a month after the FBI dropped another high-profile case against the Cupertino company. In a letter to United States District Judge Margo K. Brodie, the Justice Department confirmed that "an individual provided the...
Who’s right and who’s wrong in the battle between Apple and the FBI? It’s a question we’ve tried to answer ourselves. Now, Apple co-founder is sounding off with his opinion on how he feels Apple handled the FBI’s request for unlocking one of the San Bernardino shooters’ cell phone. In a recent interview with BBC, Wozniak explained this case was special. It wasn’t about Apple deciding...
Apple wouldn’t unlock one of the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhones for the FBI. So the FBI started looking elsewhere, searching around for hackers who could break into the device for them. Turns out the agency found someone who was willing to do the job. That hacker is probably enjoying his or her brand new boat right now, just tossing cash over the edge. See exhibit A above. The FBI...
Apple is fighting a multi-front war against the U.S. government. In another courtroom, this time in Brooklyn, Apple is continuing to fight against the Justice Department, which is requesting that it unlock a drug dealer's iPhone. Apple, as it did during the San Bernardino case, has argued that it doesn't have the ability to break into an iPhone. And, as of Friday, said that the FBI "...
The FBI finally managed to hack into the San Bernadino shooter's iPhone earlier this month without Apple's help, but it turns out the device hasn't revealed any useful new information. CBS News reports that the device is proving to be pretty useless so far, citing an anonymous law enforcement insider. The source also noted that the FBI's investigation isn't over yet. The government...
When the FBI confirmed it had gained access to an iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, it looked like Israeli firm Cellebrite was the brains behind the operation. But according to a new report, pro hackers were the real source. The Washington Post reports that professional hackers were the ones who discovered a previously unknown flaw in iOS and brought it to the FBI's...