As FBI finally succeeded in getting an iPhone unlocked after four months of a pointless legal tussle with Apple, we revisit the claim made by the FBI bigwigs regarding the whole matter and see how it stands in the tech world. We know how iPhones and their Lockscreen security is good, and it is extremely difficult to open it according to a claim made by the FBI. They used this pretext to force Apple into telling them a way to the phone that could potentially prove to be a permanent backdoor. To everybody’s initial surprise, Apple fought back and claimed that this was an unprecedented and dangerous step that could undermine civil liberties and customer privacy.
Most of us from the tech world knew that FBI’s claim was either too naive or too meticulous as there are hackers who are known to be able to unlock iPhones in a matter of hours and not four months. Here is the latest gadget that is reportedly able to unlock an iPhone with all the contents inside in a matter of six hours. It cost only 120 $ and the FBI’s seemingly inability to crack the iPhone password inspired some heavy reaction from the internet too.
The @FBI is creating a world where citizens rely on #Apple to defend their rights, rather than the other way around. https://t.co/vdjB6CuB7k
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) February 17, 2016
The IP Box as it is called, The Mail conducted a trial and found out that the device was able to unlock an iPhone 5C, the same model as the one used by San Bernardino attacker, in a little over six hours. Over 14 people lost their lives in the incident including the two attackers. The IP box uses a Brute Force attack to unlock the phone and even though normally, after a certain number of tries, the phone locks itself but the IP Box has an ability that prevents it from locking itself up. Other Apple devices like iPods and iPads are also known to be susceptible to this incursion technique. After six hours, the Ip Box gave us the right combination; 3298. You mad, FBI?
It seems pertinent to mention that Apple knew that FBI was lying about the whole episode and just wanted to have a backdoor in every device. Since the tech giant couldn’t openly say that it was possible to do so with devices like IP Box, it had no choice but to stop the legal order from being carried out. As for FBI, it has just succeeded in getting the iPhone 5C unlocked and so far, nothing has been revealed on how it was achieved. Perhaps, they attended Hacking 1.0 for buffoons and learned it in the class!