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For apple to do it,they have to make some signed software that can then be installed to the phone as an update which then allows the crack. If this is considere
by ball_of_lint 11y ago
For apple to do it,they have to make some signed software that can then be installed to the phone as an update which then allows the crack. If this is considered a back door, then everything that will accept signed updates has that same backdoor, which is a lot of things.
Theoretically yes,a lone wolf plus the FBI could do it, but they would need to get the software they make signed by Apple or steal the key to make it appear so, which would not be simple.
The big issue is that once it is signed by Apple, it could then be used to crack any phone it was installed on as a trusted update, which it is because it was signed.
- roywiggins 11y agoThe Evil Update could just refuse to function if it's being used on a phone with a different IMEID. You wouldn't be able to remove the check without breaking the signature, so it wouldn't be possible to use it to hack any other phone.
- 05 11y agoSure - until you realize IMEI is a baseband ID and you can desolder tha baseband IC and use it on all phones you need access to. Heck - you can probably just intercept and change the output of 'get IMEI' command - it's not like the communication between those chips is protected by crypto (only baseband firmware upgrade uses crypto)
- clort 11y ago> If this is considered a back door, then everything that will accept signed updates has that same backdoor, which is a lot of things. Yes. So.. we should think about that and make it so that the keys are stored in a box which cannot be broken into. I think Apple have been working on this, but it is not clear that they are yet successful.
- XorNot 11y agoExcept the order notes that Apple should lock the update to only function with that phone. It also allows them control of the hardware if they choose, provided they turn over the data. The more I've heard about this the more it seems like cynical grandstanding for marketing purposes: Apple don't want regular people fiction to become "Apple can always unlock your phone".
- tobylane 11y agoAs has been said many times over, this is setting a precedent where the FBI can ask Apple to do this again, with the software already created. The "only function with that phone" is a negligible hinderance to using this on another phone.
- XorNot 11y agoAnd it would only work for that specific model of phone. And to do so the FBI would have to have a public warrant for the search, granted by public courts. What exactly is the problem with that power? It's the same as one which lets them search your home.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- tobylane 11y agoApple goes to the effort of designing the software to be secure to the point of inaccessible, even when Apple is asked to work against the user, so it's a selling point. If the FBI is known to be able to get into a secure phone it commercially affects Apple. Why would it only work for that model of phone? Why would iOS vary its repeated attempt lock out code between models? Also another issue is that Apple are questioning whether this warrant was ever legal to exist.