‘iPhone Unlocking Manoeuvre Likely to Remain Secret’

The company that helped the FBI unlock a San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone to get data has sole legal ownership of the method, making it highly unlikely the technique will be disclosed by the government to Apple or any other entity, Obama administration sources said this week. The White House has a procedure for reviewing technology security flaws and deciding which ones should be made public. But it is not set up to handle or reveal flaws that are discovered and owned by private companies, the sources said, raising questions about…

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FBI Director: Unlocking Method Works on ‘Narrow Slice’ of iPhones

The FBI’s method for unlocking an iPhone belonging to one of the attackers in San Bernardino, California, would only work on a very “narrow slice” of devices, according to the bureau’s director. As a result, FBI Director James Comey said, he is confident that the tool would not help unlock newer phones. Federal authorities have not revealed the outside group that helped them unlock the San Bernardino phone, a device at the center of a weeks-long fight between the FBI and Apple over balancing privacy and security. Nor have they…

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