Apple-FBI iPhone Unlock

The source is Apple. They can access any phone if they want to. In this case, they didn't want to.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%E2%80%93FBI_encryption_d...

Not exactly. My understanding is that the FBI wishes for the phone in question to remain within FBI custody at all times, which makes it more likely that any custom FW Apple develops could be leaked or replicated. What I propose (obviously a compromise) is for everything (FW creation, brute force attack, download of data) to occur within Apple's custody, network, and for Apple to then destroy the phone. Apple would not even need to disclose publicly how they accessed the data on the phone.

Don't forget that the phone the fbi want to decrypt doesn't have a secure enclave. If apple agreed it would be trivial to write an OS without the exponential back off when entering incorrect passcodes

The phone the FBI got into have a secure enclave though, IIRC.

From Apple's letter [1]:> Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.> The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypa

Apple can decrypt the phone -- once they remove the bruteforce protections, it would be trivial for them to bruteforce the typical small phone unlock keyspace.The FBI hasn't asked for this since they can trivially do it themselves, but Apple could certainly do it if they wanted to.And if they are forced into creating this hack, then the next request will be to force them to decrypt the phone too since once manufacturers can be coerced into doing anything that the government dem

I don't understand your comment.The iPhone in question is protected with an unknown passcode. Auto erase is enabled, so brute-forcing the passcode will erase the data.However, a new OS version without auto erase and that accepts passcode input from USB would allow the FBI to try all combinations.How is Apple at fault because most any passcode scheme can be cracked via brute-forcing all comginations?

Didn’t Apple famously refuse the FBI’s request to unlock the San Bernardino’s attacker’s iPhone. FBI ended up hiring an Australian company which used a Mozilla bug that allows unlimited password guesses without the phone wiping.If the NSA had that info, why go through the trouble?

No need. The only thing apple must do is change the ios key management.1. Once you buy the phone you (via itunes) create a RSA key pair. Put one of those in the phone. That key is set and bootloader uses it to verify loaded updates.2. ios updates come to you signed by apple, you must resign them with your itunes and then they could be loaded.So you obtain the ability to sign your own software on your own device.In that case no amount of Apple assistance can help FBI until they obtain

Apple has not done "this" before. Apple may have unlocked phones for older models (with less security), but with the upgrades to iOS for versions 5 and 6, this is a much different ask.The FBI is hoping to have Apple develop a new iOS that does not automatically wipe the device after invalid password attempts, then use their signing keys to push a deployment of that operating system onto this specific phone.Nobody else has access to Apple's signing keys, ergo nobod