Creepy article. One question. Most people back up the iphones to icloud. I get the phone passcode on the handset, but how secure is the data on the cloud? How does that work?
Here's the description I have. Your data on your iPhone, iPad, or to her iOS device is encrypted. When it is backed up to the iCloud, it is still encrypted. Apple does not have your encryption key, so they cannot see decipher it.
The data when they receive it is anonymized with a code assigned to you, split into four parts, combined with other data from other iCloud users, and then RE-ENCRYPTED again to a 256 bit AES standard to which Apple DOES have the key. When you need your data, it is decrypted, extracted from the combined packages, recombined, and then downloaded back to you in its still encrypted form, where you can decipher it with your key.
If the Authorities request anything with a search warrant on what you've stored in your iCloud, Apple will dutifully collect what they have from you and hand them a copy of your data file in the encrypted form. In other words, a large file of gobble-de-gook they can spend eons trying to decipher, because they don't have your key.
If you are using one of the older iOS versions there will be some clear text, pictures, and email in your account the would have to hand over, but less than 10% of Apple customers are till on those antique operating systems.
Does this answer your question?
In the current case, the FBI already has all the iCloud data. Apparently, iCloud data isn't secure unless you encrypt it yourself before uploading!
Problem is, the iCloud uploads ended six weeks before the jihad event. Not clear why. Did Farook turn off iCloud backups? Was the phone never able to upload for some other reason (if that was the case, why did Farook bother to carry the phone?)?
San Bernardino County muddied the waters nicely by resetting the iCloud password shortly after the event (allegedly at the FBI's request). That blunder enabled Apple to claim the phone might have synced if brought into a familiar WiFi network, if only the password hadn't been reset. Which, of course, is guano if the phone's reason for not syncing was because Farook had configured it not to sync!
It must be pretty secure. I have never been able to access my data on I cloud