As I understand it, FedGov want to force Apple to create a new IOS that can be installed on a locked phone that will defeat the security feature that blanks a phone out after so many failed passcode attempts. Since most phones are encrypted using a 4-digit passcode, with the security feature bypassed, repeated attempts starting at 0000 and ending at 9999 will become the work of hours. Even 16-digit encryption is doable.
The big problem is that once Apple provides the bypass IOS, every time some law enforcement agency wants into a phone they’ll simply ask a court to order Apple to provide them with the bypass code. Already they are talking about “organized crime”, “child porn”, and lots of other crimes that a phone might have info about. They have been wanting this power for some time and this case is a perfect one to try to force the issue.
If they are successful, we Americans will have a bit less freedom and a bit less privacy, which appears to me to be a growing trend.
Even 16-digit encryption is doable.
Not sure about that.
My math on the fly may be wonky, but using numerics alone, I come up with 10 quintillion possibilities with 16 digits. At 5000 tries a second (don’t know if this possible) my math shows over 63,000 years.
So 50,000 tries a second would still be 6,300 years.
And if they used an alphanumeric password, you’re looking at 36 to the 16th power or 7,958,661,109,946,400,884,391,936 possibilities. At 50,000 tries a second, you’re probably talking longer than the heat death of the universe.