Apple forced to install back door for iPhones.

self | 02/17/2016 | self

[Leo Carpathian]

We see tremendous push from government for Apple to facilitate back door access to encryption on phones. This apparently to crack the terrorist's iPhone to find out who are their contacts, etc. This appears to be excuse to bypass privacy of phone users under the guise of security. Feds were ignorant to traffic around the terrorist's house. Now the phone is the key to find out who are their contacts? What does the phone reveal that records at the service provider, log of phone calls, doesn't? Where is the NSA and their records and alerts of possible terrorist activity? I can see record of my phone calls at Verizon, time and phone numbers and messages. GPS tracking programs show history of movement of cell phone, don't need the encryption off phone. Smells like another big lie from big brother in order to gain control of citizen's privacy. What happened to Hillary's private server and communications covered by NSA???

[TraditionalMerica]

You have right on this issue too; thing is there are Muslim immigrants already in this country who need to be watched.

It would be so easy if the government would just do something like limit immigration from countries with a high incidence of Islamic radicalism.

If they wanted to avoid mentioning “Islam,” they could also use Freedom House rankings, and restrict immigrants from countries ranked as “not free” https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2016/ and that encompasses every single Muslim country in the world.

[Secret Agent Man]

This is not the same as a govt comouter that sits on your desk.

Companies provide phones to employees to use for business and personal, and they split the bill on monthly service. It isnt cut and dried as a dedicated work computer.

[AFreeBird]

Apple upped the security in iOS 8. They say that even they can’t crack it. If you lose your passcode for you own phone, they can’t help you.

Digital privacy is becoming a big issue as more of our personal stuff is digitized, and goes mobile. Threats can come from the other side of the world with a literal push of a button.

Apple took a proactive approach. The government doesn’t like it. They want to be able to spy on anyone with impunity. And while this request seems innocent enough, their long game will end up being a mandated backdoor.

[puppypusher]

I really find it hard to believe that the NSA and the D.I.A.,NRO or the F.B.I. can’t figure out a way to crack thr encryption on the IPhone.

Its not the encryption they want to defeat. Its the capability to get multiple shots at opening the IPhone before it erases itself completely that they want.

Apple should tell them to go fry ice.

If they get the capability to crack that phone, they’ll get the capability to crack them all.

Why should we trust them when they work for the same administration that violated the rights of Americans to organize themselves politically by denying the 501C3 status.

[a fool in paradise]

Weaponized justice department?

Encryption itself is considered an instrument of war (think ‘coded messages’).

[usconservative]

Clearly, you know little about cyber security including what a “back door” is. The FBI is NOT asking Apple for a back door.

Technically correct.

You and I both know however, that once Apple develops a "patch" or enables access to the phone's data via any method not at the consent of the user / phone owner, that's the equivalent of a "back door."

Once Apple does it for one phone, they can expect warrants from the Feds to do the same for tens of thousands of phones.

[a fool in paradise]

They aren’t asking Apple to decrypt the data, they are asking that the “10 tries and you’re out” login prompt be disabled/removed on this particular phone used by 2 known and deceased terrorists.

[House Atreides]

I agree with your analysis/assessment. Apple needs to hang tough on this.

[NorthMountain]

No, ordinary Americans don’t have to worry. Only Radical Islamic Terrorists need worry.

Oh, yes: If you haven't done anything wrong, you have nothing to hide ... Don't worry: Big Government isn't trying to snoop on you. Big Government is there to protect you. Big Government is there to keep baby cozy and warm ...

[a fool in paradise]

When they were developing this product, the developers didn’t have a ‘reset’ mechanism as they tested the prototypes?

Code may already exist within Apple.

It’s all about whether the firmware can be loaded/updated on a locked (but not wiped) device.

[Ransomed]

I think they are ordering it. In any case I readily admit I probably don’t know enough about this, I’m sure no tech expert. I’m not seeing the difference, the 10 log in attempt and done thing is still advertised as part of the phone’s unbreakable security, did they base any advertising on it?

Freegards

[AFreeBird]

Yes, but can you push a new firmware to the device without losing the data?. The passcode is required to authorize an update on an already unlocked device. And then again at reboot. Is the passcode, which is already entangled with HW identifiers, also entangled with a hash, even a simple checksum of the OS? If you modify the code, the checksum changes.

Perhaps that’s why the passcode is required for the update, to untangle it from the old OS in preparation for the new.

Don’t know, that idea just popped into my head.

[stratboy]

I was thinking the same thing. Why not unlock the dead terrorists phone and hand it back to them. Why do they have to give them the backdoor?

[stratboy]

That’s a good point. Why not get the phone records from the carrier? Maybe texts? Don’t think that the carriers keep a copy of the text messages.

[minnesota_bound]

Can someone post links to images of dead Americans to remind people who the terrorists are. (I am too squeamish)

[ctdonath2]

The feds can’t unlock it.
They have 10 chances to enter the right passcode.
If they enter 10 wrong 4-digit codes, the phone self destructs.
The feds are demanding Apple do SOMETHING to disable the self-destruct. If that can be disabled, it’s then a simple matter of entering no more than 10,000 passcodes- one of them will unlock the phone’s secrets.
Apple is replying with:
- We can’t
- If we could we wouldn’t
- If we can we don’t want to admit it because that destroys customer confidence
- If we did you’d leak it and defeat the purpose of the self destruct mechanism
- The demand is unconstitutional for many reasons

[ResponseAbility]

****No, ordinary Americans don’t have to worry. Only Radical Islamic Terrorists need worry****

You make me laugh at your naivete.

[AFreeBird]

Imessages, not sms messages I don’t think, are encrypted. (Texting a non Apple device from an apple device is sent via sms). Your backups to iCloud are encrypted. Your data in the cloud is also dispersed and mixed with other people’s data. Only your device knows where.

Apple can say you have an account, and they can say you have X amount of data stored there. They can’t point to blocks on the HD and say, there it is. Because they don’t know where.

[blackdog]

Why would the county provide a phone at all? If they provide a phone for personal use that is income.

[LucyT]

No, what they are asking is worse. They are asking Apple to create a new version of iOS that removes the safeguards against brute-force hacking, load that update on the phone, and then give the phone back to the government to hack.

Once given back, the government will have the firmware necessary to downgrade the security of ANY iPhone, and even do so remotely. They aren't asking for a backdoor; they are asking for an entirely new iOS that they can use at their leisure. Comes pretty close to involuntary servitude.

It would be like a judge ordering me to construct a set of lockpicking tools in my basement for the government to use on my neighbor's front door, simply because I helped him hang the door. At that point, there's nothing the government can't order you to do. You can/t be opposed to Obamacare and be for this... it's the same principle...