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U.S. Says It May Not Need Apple’s Help to Unlock iPhone

nytimes.com

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Re: U.S. Says It May Not Need Apple’s Help to Unlock iPhone

#11

Post by tomschlick »

brian-armstrong wrote: post #6
georgespencer wrote: post #3

One of three things is true: 1. The FBI is lying to save face, 2. Someone -- but probably needs to be some people -- from Apple is willing to help them, 3. There is an undisclosed vulnerability in iOS which Apple is unaware of. I find it really hard to believe that someone would disclose a zero day exploit to the FBI without charging significant $ for it. Am I missing something obvious?

I am guessing they caught wind of possibly losing the case and don't want the precedent set. That's what this was always about, right?

Thats my guess. They are waiting for another "golden" case to use.

Re: U.S. Says It May Not Need Apple’s Help to Unlock iPhone

#13

Post by tptacek »

Nadya wrote: post #4
georgespencer wrote: post #3

One of three things is true: 1. The FBI is lying to save face, 2. Someone -- but probably needs to be some people -- from Apple is willing to help them, 3. There is an undisclosed vulnerability in iOS which Apple is unaware of. I find it really hard to believe that someone would disclose a zero day exploit to the FBI without charging significant $ for it. Am I missing something obvious?

>Am I missing something obvious? John McAfee did promise to do it for free. /½ s The guy is eccentric but I don't think he's an idiot and I do think he is likely talented, or at least rich enough to hire those who are. That being said - he admits he was full of shit [0] and then claims that he has a proper method that isn't full of shit but which he didn't want to disclose. Chances are he's probably full of shit on t…

He is an eccentric idiot. I am just enough not of an idiot not to bet my shoe for dinner that he had nothing to do with this, but I'm really close. If I had smaller feet, I'd take that bet.

Re: U.S. Says It May Not Need Apple’s Help to Unlock iPhone

#14

Post by tptacek »

georgespencer wrote: post #3

One of three things is true: 1. The FBI is lying to save face, 2. Someone -- but probably needs to be some people -- from Apple is willing to help them, 3. There is an undisclosed vulnerability in iOS which Apple is unaware of. I find it really hard to believe that someone would disclose a zero day exploit to the FBI without charging significant $ for it. Am I missing something obvious?

(3) isn't at all implausible.

Re: U.S. Says It May Not Need Apple’s Help to Unlock iPhone

#15

Post by theintern »

RichieAHB wrote: post #9
georgespencer wrote: post #3

One of three things is true: 1. The FBI is lying to save face, 2. Someone -- but probably needs to be some people -- from Apple is willing to help them, 3. There is an undisclosed vulnerability in iOS which Apple is unaware of. I find it really hard to believe that someone would disclose a zero day exploit to the FBI without charging significant $ for it. Am I missing something obvious?

4. They don't want to allow precedents to be set that aren't the precedents they were looking for.

Could you elaborate on what you mean here?

Re: U.S. Says It May Not Need Apple’s Help to Unlock iPhone

#16

Post by tptacek »

bcook wrote: post #12

They could just contact geohot... In some ways I suspect that the FBI's arguments are a smoke-screen to keep us from talking about the fact that unknown 0-days exist and perhaps the NSA even has a few.

How could anyone who pays attention to modern computing not understand that zero-days exist? How can anyone who knows what the NSA is not think that they stockpile them?

I will clue you in: NSA has a lot of vulnerabilities vendors don't know about.

Re: U.S. Says It May Not Need Apple’s Help to Unlock iPhone

#17

Post by blinkingled »

georgespencer wrote: post #3

One of three things is true: 1. The FBI is lying to save face, 2. Someone -- but probably needs to be some people -- from Apple is willing to help them, 3. There is an undisclosed vulnerability in iOS which Apple is unaware of. I find it really hard to believe that someone would disclose a zero day exploit to the FBI without charging significant $ for it. Am I missing something obvious?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206166

Given the existence of these is disclosed now and the suspect's iPhone can be prevented from auto updating I think the FBI will have an easier time attacking it?

Looking at the first one itself they might just have to attach a malicious USB device to execute arbitrary code.

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