Apple Govt. mandate

[Leo Graywacz]

It sounds like the FBI reset the passcode to get into the cloud storage of the perp. In doing so they invalidated the phone/cloud connection of phone. If that was still there it was possible that when the phone interacted with a know WiFi it would have uploaded more contents of the phone.

But since the last upload was months before, it was likely the connection was severed by the perp earlier and the phone would have never done another cloud update anyway.

But it was the FBI in their rush to get information that screwed this up. And now they are demanding that Apple fix it at their own cost with a threat from the courts.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Thank you for your cool-headed comment, Ken. This is a very interesting and thought-provoking conversation. I hope it doesn't cross the line and get stifled.

[Mike Henderson]

It sounds like the FBI reset the passcode to get into the cloud storage of the perp. In doing so they invalidated the phone/cloud connection of phone. If that was still there it was possible that when the phone interacted with a know WiFi it would have uploaded more contents of the phone.

But since the last upload was months before, it was likely the connection was severed by the perp earlier and the phone would have never done another cloud update anyway.

But it was the FBI in their rush to get information that screwed this up. And now they are demanding that Apple fix it at their own cost with a threat from the courts.

I'm pretty sure they reset it to prevent a confederate from wiping the cloud data. It's a judgment call. They didn't know if the attackers were part of a group and had other people who were tasked with cleaning up the trail. So to protect the data they had in the cloud, they changed the password. Turned out to be a wrong decision but you make your decision on what you have at the time.

Mike

[Scott Shepherd]

The report I read this morning said it was a San Bernadino IT guy that locked them out, not the FBI. It also said Apple had been working with them for weeks to try and resolve it, and if that IT guy wouldn't have done what he did, then they'd be able to help them. However, his actions actually reset the phone just like it was a new phone. That's way different than the reporting that's been out there.

If someone physically took the phone and basically reset it to a new phone status, I'm not sure there's much anyone can do at this point.

[Mike Henderson]

The report I read this morning said it was a San Bernadino IT guy that locked them out, not the FBI. It also said Apple had been working with them for weeks to try and resolve it, and if that IT guy wouldn't have done what he did, then they'd be able to help them. However, his actions actually reset the phone just like it was a new phone. That's way different than the reporting that's been out there.

If someone physically took the phone and basically reset it to a new phone status, I'm not sure there's much anyone can do at this point.

Yeah, if it was reset to new phone status, everything was wiped clean off the phone. But I don't think you can wipe a phone without using your iTunes ID and password on the phone itself. When I wiped my old iPhone to give it to someone else, I had to go through quite a bit to get it to reset to factory status. Apple added that to keep someone from stealing an iPhone and then resetting to factory status so they could sell it. It's unlikely someone would be allowed to do that to this particular phone.

If you don't have the iTunes ID and Password, you can't reset the phone. You can wipe a phone remotely, but that still requires the ID and password, and it just wipes, it doesn't reset to factory status.

Mike

[Scott Shepherd]

Yeah, if it was reset to new phone status, everything was wiped clean off the phone. But I don't think you can wipe a phone without using your iTunes ID and password on the phone itself. When I wiped my old iPhone to give it to someone else, I had to go through quite a bit to get it to reset to factory status. Apple added that to keep someone from stealing an iPhone and then resetting to factory status so they could sell it. It's unlikely someone would be allowed to do that to this particular phone.

If you don't have the iTunes ID and Password, you can't reset the phone. You can wipe a phone remotely, but that still requires the ID and password, and it just wipes, it doesn't reset to factory status.

Mike

The report I read said the IT guy deleted the icloud account for that phone and I think it said he assigned it a new one, I suspect trying to get into the phone using a new account. I might not be remembering that right, but I do know it said that he deleted the icloud account.

[Scott Donley]

Ya, sorta looks like the FBI blew it.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fbi...Lye?li=BBnb7KB

[Myk Rian]

Once hackers know Apple has a backdoor into the iPhone they will be spending lots of time trying to find and exploit the backdoor. How would Apple kept this code secret? A rogue Apple employee might decide the code is worth a lot to a criminal and sells it to them. Maybe hackers will use this backdoor to install ransom ware where you have to pay to get your phone under your control again.

That is NOT what would happen. It's isn't a back door. They have to REPLACE the entire OS with one that does not have the security feature in it.

[Brian Elfert]

That is NOT what would happen. It's isn't a back door. They have to REPLACE the entire OS with one that does not have the security feature in it.

How we know that Apple doesn't just have a back door they aren't telling us about?

How much would ring of thieves pay to get that code from a corrupt Apple employee? They would love to be able to break into iPhones so they can resell them. They probably have people in third world countries willing to sit all day and try passcodes until they find the right one. A lot of people only use four digit codes so there aren't that many combinations.

[Charlie Velasquez]

Aside from the security/privacy issue.... A government spokesperson suggested one reason Apple does not want to comply has to do with marketing; Apple has a reputation of being more security/privacy conscious.

If Apple complies and public opinion on its security/privacy shifts, should the government recompense Apple for lost market?

[Scott Shepherd]

Aside from the security/privacy issue.... A government spokesperson suggested one reason Apple does not want to comply has to do with marketing; Apple has a reputation of being more security/privacy conscious.

If Apple complies and public opinion on its security/privacy shifts, should the government recompense Apple for lost market?

Well, it's not just Apple, the head of several tech companies have come out against it and said it was a really, really, really bad idea and would have serious consequences for a long time.

[Mike Null]

As does Gen. Hayden former chief of the CIA and NSA. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2...oors/80660024/

[paul cottingham]

If there is information on it that could stop another attack it is worth it. What would you say if one of your loved ones ended up dead and then you found out that it could have been stopped if they had cracked the phone.

That is a red herring argument. The chances of that are so low as to be almost incalculable. And before you can say it, i have a cousin who was in one of the buildings during 9/11. He lived, and i still think Apple should tell the FBI to pound sand.

honestly, the FBI cracked many a case without such egregious invasion of privacy. They can continue to do so.