FBI not to share the method which was used to Hack iPhone
FBI not to share the method which was used to Hack iPhone

FBI not to share the method which was used to Hack iPhone

The report of two US government sources, on Tuesday, has stated  regarding iPhone hack method that the FBI has provisionally decided not to allow sharing of  an iPhone unlocking mechanism used by a contractor to open the phone of one of the San Bernardino shooters constraining  that the agency does not have the mechanism.

One of the sources, who asked to remain unpublicized, said that the FBI is anticipated within days to write to the White House explaining why the agency cannot share the unlocking mechanism with other government agencies, Apple or other third parties.

Several other US government sources said the FBI contractor that unlocked the shooter’s phone was a foreign entity and did not give US authorities details of the mechanism. Without that, the FBI could not share it even reluctant to do so, sources said.

While the unnamed contractor had sole ownership of the method it was using due to which it can become unlikely for the government to share it, reported by Reuters.

Later on, the FBI as indicating to the fact has warned Apple of a separate flaw in its iPhone and Mac software, the company told Reuters on Tuesday.

The company said the government had alerted Apple to an unstable position under White House interagency procedure which is known as Vulnerability Equities Process used for reviewing technology security flaws and affirmed that one should be made public. The FBI’s provisional decision means that the unlocking mechanism used on the San Bernardino iPhone will not be brought into account by the interagency procedure for review.

Earlier on Tuesday, FBI Director James Comey hesitantly said about his agency was assessing the mechanism and would go through the review. Furthermore, he added, “We are in the midst of trying to sort that out,”.

Interagency review process relies on disclosure of technological flaws; yet it is not a complete set up to reveal flaws, officials said.

The comments of Comey’s appeared to confirm the FBI did not own the mechanism method used to progress quickly the county-owned work phone belonging to Syed Farook, who with his wife opened fire in December on a San Bernardino, Calif., holiday party, killing 14 and wounding 22.

An unidentified third party possessed the method which catches the public eye on a pursuit of a court order to compel Apple’s assistance in unlocking the phone.

Along elaborated debated fuelled over the law enforcement, privacy and security access to encrypted technology on a refusal erected by Apple to noncompliance. Afterwards, the   government withdrew its case after it said the hacking method worked. The method works on a “narrow slice” of iPhone 5c devices running iOS 9, said Comey.

One of Apple’s senior executive told that it was confident the flaw used by the third party would have “short shelf life” and be strengthen through film’s efforts which are under way to improve the security of its devices, an Apple senior executive told reporters earlier this month.

About Haider Khan

I'm an Independent Cyber Security Researcher, a geek who loves Cyber Security and Technology.