Department of Justice Hacks into San Bernardino Shooter's Phone Without Apple's Help

Department of Justice hacks San Bernardino shooter's phone, drops legal action against Apple.

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The ongoing case between Apple and the FBI has led to a polarizing debate about security. Apple, in case you didn’t know (but really you should), has pushed back on the FBI’s demands to help it unlock a phone belonging to San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. Apple CEO Tim Cook denounced the so-called “backdoor” the FBI wanted Apple to build, which would help bypass security features that protect information. As of almost two weeks ago Apple employees were reportedly set on quitting even if they were court-ordered to build a backdoor. They can rest easy, for now at least, as the Department of Justice reports it has hacked into Farook’s phone without Apple’s help.  

A statement released by the Department of Justice doesn’t explain how the hack was made possible. Previously the FBI had said only Apple could help them access the data on the phone.  

And if it wasn’t made clear, this alleged hack means the case against Apple is over (for now) as The Huffington Postreports.

Melanie Newman spokeswoman of the Department of Justice said, “As the government noted in its filing today, the FBI has now successfully retrieved the data stored on the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone and therefore no longer requires the assistance from Apple required by this Court Order. The FBI is currently reviewing the information on the phone, consistent with standard investigatory procedures.”

Newman added:

“It remains a priority for the government to ensure that law enforcement can obtain crucial digital information to protect national security and public safety, either with cooperation from relevant parties, or through the court system when cooperation fails. We will continue to pursue all available options for this mission, including seeking the cooperation of manufacturers and relying upon the creativity of both the public and private sectors.”

On Monday night Apple released a statement:


From the beginning, we objected to the FBI's demand that Apple build a backdoor into the iPhone because we believed it was wrong and would set a dangerous precedent. As a result of the government’s dismissal, neither of these occurred. This case should never have been brought.

We will continue to help law enforcement with their investigations, as we have done all along, and we will continue to increase the security of our products as the threats and attacks on our data become more frequent and more sophisticated.

Apple believes deeply that people in the United States and around the world deserve data protection, security and privacy. Sacrificing one for the other only puts people and countries at greater risk.

This case raised issues which deserve a national conversation about our civil liberties, and our collective security and privacy. Apple remains committed to participating in that discussion.

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