Even though Apple’s lawyers may be looking for a way to compel the FBI to reveal the method it used to unlock the iPhone at the center of the San Bernardino shooting case, it doesn’t look like the bureau is in a sharing kind of mood.
After Apple refused an FBI-requested court order demanding it essentially create a backdoor for the iPhone, a mysterious third-party stepped up and gave the FBI a method for unlocking the phone.
While the FBI dropped the court order with the new method in hand, the bureau confirmed during a meeting with privacy professionals that is has not told Apple what method it used to hack into the iPhone, according to the New York Times.
The FBI’s lawyer, James Baker, said that officials from the bureau has been in talks with Apple regarding the unlocking issue, though it has “not shared the solution with Apple to date.”
A useful hack?
Despite the nearly two month-long furor with Apple over the iPhone, the FBI has also not revealed whether the data it gained from the unlocked phone is useful or not, with Baker saying, “We’re still working on that, I guess is the answer.”
However, he also added that it “was worth the fight to make sure that we have turned over every rock that we can with respect to the investigation,” and ensured that every logical lead was pursued.
It’s unclear whether the FBI will make any of the contents found on the iPhone available to the public. Though, the FBI’s current silence on the data it found is not surprising, as the San Bernardino investigation is currently ongoing. It will likely not disclose information pertaining to the investigation any time soon.
“If and when it becomes appropriate to disclose it, we will,” Baker said.
It’s also unclear if the FBI will ever reveal it’s unlocking method to Apple, even though it could mean that there is an existing iPhone vulnerability that the company is unaware of.
Source: techradar.com
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Well it's clear the FBI are playing a game of bluff.
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