Apple implies FBI screwup: iPhone Apple ID password changed in govt possession

9 to 5 Mac ^ | February 19, 2016 | by Jordan Kahn

[Swordmaker]

Apple has now responded to a Department of Justice filing that we reported earlier today was attempting to force the company to comply with an FBI request for access to a locked iPhone belonging to a suspect in the San Bernardino attacks. In one statement to Reuters, an Apple spokesperson said the DOJ is "disregarding civil liberties in iPhone unlocking case," while in another it attempts to explain more of the back story regarding past events with the iPhone in question. 

CNBC reports an Apple exec called the motion "a way to argue the case twice before Apple can respond," a response to the fact that the DOJ's motion filed today comes ahead of Apple's deadline to respond to a judge regarding its original refusal to unlock the device in the case. CNBC adds that in response to claims in the DOJ filing, Apple said it “has not said that unlocking an iPhone is technically possible.”

Now that the DOJ has exposed a lot of the background story in the case in its earlier filing, Apple is offering its side of the story.

Here’s a longer version of Apple’s statement relayed by unnamed executives to various medial outlets, this time via BuzzFeed:

The Apple ID passcode linked to the iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terrorists was changed less than 24 hours after the government took possession of the device, senior Apple executives said Friday. If that hadn't happened, Apple said, a backup of the information the government was seeking may have been accessible…

The executives said the company had been in regular discussions with the government since early January, and that it proposed four different ways to recover the information the government is interested in without building a back door. One of those methods would have involved connecting the phone to a known wifi network.

So Apple is arguing that the Apple ID of the iPhone was changed after the government took possession, meaning the FBI could have had access to the data it’s seeking.  Apple adds that otherwise it previously proposed solutions that wouldn’t include building a the “backdoor” the FBI is after.

Apple also reportedly responded to the DOJ's claims that Apple's refusal on the requests were a marketing ploy, according to BuzzFeed, "saying they were instead based on their love for the country and desire not to see civil liberties tossed aside."

And while Apple is calling up media outlets to give its response to the filing, TheHill reports Tim Cook and the head of the FBI were today invited to testify before a House committee.

JUST IN: In response to DOJ filing earlier, sr. Apple exec. says company has not said that unlocking an iPhone is technically possible - DJ—
CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) February 19, 2016

BREAKING: Department of Justice disregarding civil liberties in iPhone unlocking case: Apple—
Reuters U.S. News (@ReutersUS) February 19, 2016

Apple: Within 24 hours of govt taking possession of SB shooter's phone, Apple ID pass was changed—backup may have been accessible prior—
John Paczkowski (@JohnPaczkowski) February 19, 2016

[WMarshal]

Surprise surprise! One more government employee who wants to kill patriotic Americans.

[Flick Lives]

That’s a darn good question.

Why am I not amazed the government has made a total hash of this investigation thru their incompetence. This same government literally thru the door open to the SB terrorist’s apartment to the press days after the attack, resulting in contamination of any evidence that was in the apartment. That level of incompetence borders on the criminal.

[Swordmaker]

So what? All they’re asking for is to disable the retries limit, then they’ll crack the pw and decrypt the content like they’ve done many times in the past.

No, bigbob, Apple has not. That claim has been debunked completely. Apple does not have the capability to decrypt the contents. In the past they were able to provide the contents that were not encrypted, and never unlocked the portions that were encrypted. This has been posted numerous times on FR. It is the Apple Law Enforcement Guide to what they CAN provide in response to a search warrant:

It is pretty straightforward. For iOS 4 through iOS 7, they can provide those data that are listed. For iOS 8 and above, they can provide nothing, because it is all encrypted and they simply do not have the key to the encryption.

For any iOS 1 through iOS 3, there is no need for Apple to do anything, as everything is unencrypted, and the police already have the tools they need to unlock devices using those versions of iOS.

The fact is that no one CAN decipher something encrypted to a 256 bit AES standard encryption without the original key.

Without that key, it is, for all extents and purposes, unbreakable. The laws of mathematics do not change for Apple or anyone. It would take them just as long as it would for the NSA. Without the key to decipher the encryption, which has a key made up of at least 132 characters if the passcode was just four numbers, it would take 5.62 UNDECILLION (5.62 X 10¹⁹⁵) YEARS using the fastest supercomputer available today to try every possible key!

I think the contents of that iPhone would be moot by the time anyone found the correct key, don't you?

[glasseye]

So could it be the FBI cracked it, downloaded what they needed and the locked it back up to demand Apple do this for ‘national security”?
I would not put it past them the way they have lide.
Under oath even...

[DiogenesLamp]

I think Apple is putting out a smoke screen

This isn't making much sense, is it?

[DiogenesLamp]

How else was the AppleID CHANGED while in government custody????

And how does Apple knowit was changed? And why didn't Tim Cook mention this earlier?

[Ransomed]

Hopefully that’s the question radical islamist terrorists are asking themselves about all this.

I wonder why this is being fought in public. You would think success against Apple would ensure the terrorists would just put less really important stuff on their phones.

Freegards

[Swordmaker]

On a side note how did fib change the apple ID if phone was locked?

That's what I am asking. There are only two ways.

1. The iPhone 5C was unlocked and had no passcode when they seized it, they changed the AppleID, then they added a passcode and locked it.
2. The iPhone 5c was locked when they seized it, but they found a sticky note on the refrigerator in the terrorist's apartment saying "Allah Akbar: Passcode to my iPhone 5C: 1234", opened the iPhone 5C, synced everything on it to an FBI computer, found the AppleID, changed the AppleID, changed the passcode, then re-locked it.

So, after that, the FBI and DOJ, did more:

1. Called Apple and said "We need help getting into this iPhone you evil SOBs made too secure to get into just to support nasty child molesting perverts, terrorists, and other evil miscreants, come write us a universal backdoor or else!"
2. When Apple said no, we won't write you a universal back door, the DOJ went to a compliant judge who, using the All Writs Act of 1789, ordered Apple to cooperate and write a universal backdoor, or else.

[IncPen]

Keep in mind what ‘the government’ is.

It’s the guy next door who works for the ATF, or the DMV or HUD.

Would you let him go through your email, your bank account, your texts to your wife?

Hell no.

‘The Government’ is nothing more than people otherwise equal to you who are trying to take advantage of you under the cloak of law.

[Swordmaker]

And how does Apple knows was changed? And why didn't Tim Cook mention this earlier?

Apple can see what was done on the iCloud AppleID account, which is used to access and purchase apps. They can see when it was changed. That does not mean they can see any personal data that is stored in the iCloud under that AppleID, but they DO have information on that account.

Do you throw out everything you know when you are negotiating with someone, especially something negative, who you want to remain friends with? Apple certainly did not also mention that they had told the FBI four methods of getting what they wanted and the FBI apparently wasn't interested in those approaches. It seems they wanted only the universal backdoor approach of turning off the lockout.

[DiogenesLamp]

Apple certainly did not also mention that they had told the FBI four methods of getting what they wanted and the FBI apparently wasn't interested in those approaches.

Where is this information available? If this is correct, I may have to reevaluate my thinking.

[IncPen]

The iPhone 5C was unlocked and had no passcode when they seized it, they changed the AppleID, then they added a passcode and locked it.

Suppose when they first obtained the phone, they were able to guess the code and get some incriminating info from it. Let's also suppose they had a bad (or no) warrant when they did that.

If they then locked the phone, they could 'develop their leads another way' while having deniability because they were fighting with Apple.

Tinfoil, yes, but we're talking about the same people who can't figure out what Hillary did wrong...

[DuhYup]

Curiouser and curiouser!

I read through the govt court filing involved. The govt attorneys are snarky and very unprofessional. It is an embarassment that with their high positions and salaries that they filed a public document that comes across as being written by childish jerks. A public pissing contest between Apple and snarky bureaucrats makes the govt look bad.

From the govt filing it appears Apple was cooperating in the process of getting the data. Apple failed in the attempt and discovered that the govt hadn’t bothered to inform Apple that the govt (local) had already screwed with the phone preventing retrieval.

Without the govt incompetence we would already be acting on the data instead of having to force a universal back door to be created.

It must be important time critical data since the court will have a hearing on the filing in a month.

[ctdonath2]

“that means [the FBI] also have the password NOW.”

THIS.

[IndispensableDestiny]

On a side note how did fbi change the apple ID if phone was locked?

The FBI didn't. The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health did.

The Apple ID is distinct from the passcode on the phone. Many phones can be associated with the same Apple ID. The same Apple ID can be used with a Mac, iTunes on Windows, and iPad, or a web browser.

For the phone to back up to iCloud, it needs the Apple ID and password. Since the county changed the password, the phone couldn't connect to do a backup.

[mcshot]

Of the parties involved I trust the gov’t least.

[rdl6989]

Agreed, I trust the FBI, especially the OBAMA FBI about as far as I can throw it.

[itsahoot]

So what? All they’re asking for is to disable the retries limit

They want Apple to create the software to disable that protection, from there they probably can reverse engineer that software and then be able to open any iPhone.

[AFreeBird]

Makes one wonder if it was intentional - on the orders of the Muslim in Chief.

Gotta looks out for his homies.

Or does the Muslim brotherhood have moles on the FBI? What am I saying, of course they do, they’ve infiltrated our entire government with Barack Hussien Obama’s blessing.

[AFreeBird]

Apple is a target. Two left coast cites(in NY & CA natch) are already trying to pass a bill to make it illegal to sell devices that can’t be cracked.

If this info is true, and given the way this administration operates, then this is(was) a PR ploy on the part of the government to strip away more of our liberties.