Two weeks ago, we reported that several videos showed methods to bypass the iPhone’s locking system. It was prompted after several months of litigation between Apple and the FBI over encryption on one of the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhones. If you recall, the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone was locked and the FBI filed suit requiring Apple to provide them with a backdoor to unlock the phone.
 
After several weeks of back-and-forth, several YouTube videos showed that various iPhone versions could be unlocked without an unlock code. This week, the FBI announced that it no longer needs Apple’s help in unlocking the San Bernardino shooter’s phone. It’s likely that a third-party has sold an access procedure that can be used in this particular cases.
 
The discovery is a win for Apple and the FBI. Apple can use its refusal to unlock the phone to market to users, and the FBI can use third-party tools found on gray or black hat markets. This will open doors for hackers to bypass locking mechanisms and sell the methods to law enforcement without compromising the underlying encryption.

 

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