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> Yes, it is certainly possible to create an entirely new operating system to undermine our security features as the government wants. But it’s something we bel
by cballard 11y ago
> Yes, it is certainly possible to create an entirely new operating system to undermine our security features as the government wants. But it’s something we believe is too dangerous to do. The only way to guarantee that such a powerful tool isn’t abused and doesn’t fall into the wrong hands is to never create it.
Is this just security through obscurity, then?
- patch_cable 11y agoNo? Not if it requires a key to sign the software.
- mattb314 11y agoI think the argument here is that stealing a private key isn't fundamentally more difficult than stealing this iOS backdoor (were Apple to create it). Under this model, Apple's refusal to create a backdoor is in some sense an appeal to security through obscurity because it implies that engineering knowledge is the main obstacle to adversaries, whereas the true obstacle is the ability to steal protected information from Apple (the key or the backdoor). If the key and backdoor were equivalently useful, the existence of a backdoor wouldn't impact the safety of customers because the key already exists. Of course, whether stealing a backdoor is actually as hard as stealing a key is a legitimate question, but (I thought) Apple had the option to unlock the phone in-house, which would at least keep the backdoor out of FBI hands (the legal precedent, however, could still pose a real threat to user security).
- noelsusman 11y agoSo then why couldn't Apple create this exploit so that it only runs on this specific device? That way the security of all iPhones is still reliant on the security of Apple's key, just like before.
- micampe 11y agoIs GPG security through obscurity, since it only relies on you not knowing my private key?
- teacup50 11y agoYes, if you use that private key to serve as an unauditable 3rd-party trust authority in what should be a single-party or two-party transaction.