{"id":6813,"date":"2016-02-23T09:21:47","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T14:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kasperskydaily.com\/uk\/?p=6813"},"modified":"2019-11-22T10:11:18","modified_gmt":"2019-11-22T10:11:18","slug":"apple-versus-fbi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/6813\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple vs. FBI \u2013 what&#8217;s going on?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Over the past week or so, we have seen <a href=\"https:\/\/threatpost.com\/apples-cook-opposes-court-order-to-hack-san-bernardino-shooters-phone\/116274\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">an escalation between Apple and the FBI<\/a> in regards to unlocking the iPhone belonging to one of the shooters involved in the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2015_San_Bernardino_attack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">San Bernardino, California. terrorist attack in December<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The latest on the fight is that both the FBI and Apple CEO Tim Cook have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/02\/23\/technology\/apple-unlock-iphone-san-bernardino.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">been invited to a hearing<\/a> of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on privacy and national security \u201cto explain to Congress and the American people the issues at play and how they plan to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are people with strong opinions on both sides of the fence as to what is right and what is wrong in this instance. This is something worth keeping an eye on for anyone who owns a smartphone, is concerned with privacy or works on the Internet. Be sure to stay tuned into <a href=\"https:\/\/threatpost.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Threatpost<\/a> for all the breaking news on security and privacy.<\/p>\n<p>In case you\u2019re behind on the news, here is a quick overview to help you pick a side in the debate.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"zxx\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KOLN11BVAC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/KOLN11BVAC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Fabio Assolini (@assolini) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/assolini\/status\/701747530518949888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">February 22, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Back Story<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.macrumors.com\/2016\/02\/22\/fbi-vs-apple-icloud-password-reset\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Reportedly<\/a>, Apple gave the FBI data that was backed up to the iCloud service from the San Bernardino shooter\u2019s phone. The last copy was made in October 19, when the criminal allegedly stopped backing up the phone. The FBI wants the newer data to fill in the gaps and has a <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.documentcloud.org\/documents\/2714001\/SB-Shooter-Order-Compelling-Apple-Asst-iPhone.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">court order<\/a>, which tells Apple how exactly the company should help with the investigation.<\/p>\n<p>That is to say, the FBI want Apple to:<br>\n1) disable the functionality that wipes the memory when more than 10 wrong passcodes are entered in a row;<br>\n2) create a software that can enter passwords automatically;<br>\n3) disable the delay between each passcode entry.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6815\" src=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/86\/2016\/02\/05194200\/apple-versus-fbi-1.png\" alt=\"apple-versus-fbi-1\" width=\"800\" height=\"325\"><\/p>\n<p>In other words, the FBI wants to bruteforce their way into the iPhone and ask have asked Apple to turn off all security constraints. If Apple agrees, the FBI could unlock the iPhone in <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2016\/02\/18\/passcodes-that-can-defeat-fbi-ios-backdoor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">several hours<\/a>, instead of years.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">ICYMI: The FBI is scaring people into being worried about weird implausible theories of terrorism. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ymatij7Qk8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/ymatij7Qk8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 thaddeus e. grugq thegrugq@infosec.exchange (@thegrugq) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thegrugq\/status\/701119097111642112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">February 20, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook published a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.apple.com\/customer-letter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">message to customers<\/a> saying that the company had already shared with law enforcement agencies all data it had. Cook rightly noted that the FBI asked Apple to make a \u201cmaster key;\u201d \u201cNow the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6816\" src=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/86\/2016\/02\/05194158\/apple-versus-fbi-2.png\" alt=\"apple-versus-fbi-2\" width=\"800\" height=\"229\"><\/p>\n<p>There are obviously a number of open questions that may need clearing up, so we\u2019ll do our best to summarise below.<\/p>\n<h3>What laws is the government relying on, in this case?<\/h3>\n<p><em>It\u2019s a good question.<\/em> The government is using the All Writs Act that was signed into law in 1789. Basically, this act <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnet.com\/news\/apple-versus-the-fbi-why-the-lowest-priced-iphone-has-the-us-in-a-tizzy-faq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">helped establish<\/a> the judiciary system in the US, which was rather young at the time. The act was giving federal courts the power to issue orders that do not fall under a pre-existing law. Gizmodo published a <a href=\"http:\/\/gizmodo.com\/the-227-year-old-statute-being-used-to-order-apple-into-1759736160\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">detailed review<\/a> of the act and how it is used by the justice system that is worth the read.<\/p>\n<h3>Why does the FBI need Apple to hack the iPhone?<\/h3>\n<p>FBI agents aren\u2019t able to do this as Apple\u2019s\u00a0security measures are too strong.<\/p>\n<p><em>But there are other facts.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Recently Apple <a href=\"http:\/\/gizmodo.com\/apple-this-mess-couldve-been-avoided-if-the-government-1760211382\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">invited journalists<\/a> to a separate conference call, which was held under strict rules: nobody was to cite Apple experts word for word, or to disclose their names. The company revealed that FBI accidentally reset the San Bernardino shooter\u2019s iCloud password. If the bureau did not do that the phone would automatically synchronise with the Apple iCloud and make a fresh back up and Apple would have been happy to share it with the agents.\u00a0However, now that the password has been reset, this is no longer possible.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BweBCNBxJxM?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Where do the parties stand?<\/h3>\n<p>Apple\u2019s public position was revealed in February 16: the FBI\u2019s idea was equal to the backdoor development. This solution endangered Apple customers, so the company <a href=\"https:\/\/threatpost.com\/apples-cook-opposes-court-order-to-hack-san-bernardino-shooters-phone\/116274\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">didn\u2019t wish to comply<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI responded quietly with a court claim in February 19. According to the bureau, Apple could help but has decided against in favour of protecting its brand.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6817\" src=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/86\/2016\/02\/05194157\/apple-versus-fbi-3.png\" alt=\"apple-versus-fbi-3\" width=\"800\" height=\"551\"><\/p>\n<h3>Can Apple do what FBI requires?<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/threatpost.com\/apple-technically-able-to-help-fbi-crack-shooters-iphone\/116321\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Maybe<\/a>. Tim Cook\u2019s announcement doesn\u2019t include a clear response to the question: \u2018is it possible?\u2019 \u00a0Of course, Apple is the developer of the iPhone software and hardware, so they have the full technical know how if they decided to do it. \u00a0Following the results of the \u201csecret\u201d Skype-call with Apple employees, <a href=\"http:\/\/gizmodo.com\/apple-this-mess-couldve-been-avoided-if-the-government-1760211382\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Gizmodo confirmed<\/a>\u00a0that it is technically possible for the company to create this kind of software, if required.<\/p>\n<p>According to the FBI, there is nothing to fear. The bureau claims, that Apple can bound the hack to the terrorist\u2019s iPhone only. Moreover, allegedly the FBI hasn\u2019t\u00a0asked the company to share this software with their specialists. \u00a0From Apple\u2019s point of view, if such a solution was created, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/golden-key-encryption\/10725\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">cybercriminals will devote resources trying to recreate it<\/a> and produce their own backdoor.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Would a golden key actually solve encryption issues? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2JUAypdDf3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/2JUAypdDf3<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/apple?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#apple<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FBiOS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#FBiOS<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/O8btU4j7Xy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/O8btU4j7Xy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaspersky\/status\/700708053151309824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">February 19, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>This story has landed at the right time and the right place. \u00a0The Apple vs FBI fight is part of a larger discussion around encryption with privacy advocates concerned about the ramifications of opening up encryption to governments.<\/p>\n<p><em>So why does encryption matter?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>You see, encryption is made of math, not magic. It\u2019s impossible to weaken it for a charmed,\u00a0or\u00a0select, circle. As soon as encryption is weakened, it\u2019s no longer safe to use. Period.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Would a golden key actually solve encryption issues? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2JUAypdDf3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/2JUAypdDf3<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/apple?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#apple<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FBiOS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#FBiOS<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/O8btU4j7Xy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/O8btU4j7Xy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaspersky\/status\/700708053151309824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">February 19, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In fact, every time encryption is threatened, our privacy is put at risk, as well as\u00a0the security of our data and communications. The consequences to weakening encryption will be damaging to us all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the past week or so, we have seen an escalation between Apple and the FBI in regards to unlocking the iPhone belonging to one of the shooters involved in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":6814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2026],"tags":[14,1320,261,1319,1318,1150,26,1321,43,97],"class_list":{"0":"post-6813","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-threats","9":"tag-apple","10":"tag-backdoors","11":"tag-encryption","12":"tag-fbi","13":"tag-fbios","14":"tag-ios","15":"tag-iphone","16":"tag-politics","17":"tag-privacy","18":"tag-security-2"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/6813\/"},{"hreflang":"en-us","url":"https:\/\/usa.kaspersky.com\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/6752\/"},{"hreflang":"es-mx","url":"https:\/\/latam.kaspersky.com\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/6728\/"},{"hreflang":"es","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.es\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/7794\/"},{"hreflang":"it","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.it\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/7574\/"},{"hreflang":"ru","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.ru\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/10950\/"},{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/11381\/"},{"hreflang":"fr","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.fr\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/5257\/"},{"hreflang":"de","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.de\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/7080\/"},{"hreflang":"ja","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.co.jp\/apple-versus-fbi\/10534\/"},{"hreflang":"ru-kz","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.kz\/apple-versus-fbi\/10950\/"},{"hreflang":"en-au","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.au\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/11381\/"},{"hreflang":"en-za","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/apple-versus-fbi\/11381\/"}],"acf":[],"banners":"","maintag":{"url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/tag\/apple\/","name":"apple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6813"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17785,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6813\/revisions\/17785"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}