Apple might not have to face the FBI in federal court over a locked iPhone 5c owned by California shooter Syed Farook involved in the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack, if an Israeli company's hacking method can break the device's encryption. Cellebrite is a private security company in Israel that specializes in collecting and transferring data from mobile phones and is reportedly helping the federal bureau unlock the encrypted handset.
Daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported the news on March 23, Wednesday, according to CNET. Industry sources have shared that if Cellebrite can open the phone Apple will be off the hook as its help in the legal matter will be superfluous.
On March 21, Monday the FBI filed a request to delay the court order in the Apple v. FBI case requiring the tech giant to unlock the iPhone unit after the feds had accidentally locked the 5 series device by changing its Apple ID password. It was less than 24 hours before the California court hearing.
Apple would not comply with the FBI's court order requiring it to build a special iOS that would allow the Department of Justice (DOJ) to access the smartphone's data. However, one day before the hearing started the FBI announced that it was testing a hacking method to unlock the iPhone 5c.
Nevertheless, Apple's lawyers shared that they have not had a legal victory yet. If the decryption method of the security firm does not work then the case might still be settled in a California courtroom.
The FBI requested that Apple create a new OS to disable the mobile device's auto-erase feature that wipes out the iPhone's data if someone enters the wrong passcode 10 times. Tel Aviv-based Cellebrite produces several mobile data products used in the corporate, military, and law enforcement sectors.
Cellebrite's UFED Touch device can bypass the lock, PIN, or passport of Android phones. It also offers wide support for the data extraction and decoding of Apple devices including smartphones and tablets.
The FBI claims that the court order is only a one-time request, according to Tech Crunch. However, court documents show the DOJ is involved in a dozen similar active cases, while Apple has argued that its devices' security is a matter of protecting customers. For example, iOS 9.3 users who have activated two-factor authentication must now enter a passcode in order to access iCloud data.
Here are the new features of iOS 9.3: