Picture from TomoNews US Youtube video here
On Tuesday, the federal court ordered Apple to help unlocking an iPhone used by one of the attackers in the San Bernardino Attack by creating a virtual backdoor. By doing this they could threaten the security of their products and their users. This order blew up around the web and has become a public discussion. Should Apple comply to the FBI?
What is the FBI actually asking for?
They are asking for Apple to create a firmware that will bypass certain restrictions allowing the FBI to put in as many passwords as they want, without the fear of the iPhone erasing its stored information. The FBI wants to be able to use "brute force" (using a powerful computer to electronically try millions of password quickly). Tim Cook says this about it in his letter:
They are asking for Apple to create a firmware that will bypass certain restrictions allowing the FBI to put in as many passwords as they want, without the fear of the iPhone erasing its stored information. The FBI wants to be able to use "brute force" (using a powerful computer to electronically try millions of password quickly). Tim Cook says this about it in his letter:
A Dangerous Precedent
Rather than asking for legislative action through Congress, the FBI is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority.
The government would have us remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by “brute force,” trying thousands or millions of combinations with the speed of a modern computer.
The implications of the government’s demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone or camera without your knowledge.
Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government.
We are challenging the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications.
While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.
Why can't the FBI build this software themselves?
The answer is simple: they do not have the signatures from Apple needed. Any firmware that is to run on an iDevice has to be signed by Apple. If it is not, the iDevice will not accept the firmware.
The answer is simple: they do not have the signatures from Apple needed. Any firmware that is to run on an iDevice has to be signed by Apple. If it is not, the iDevice will not accept the firmware.
Why is this such a big deal?
Apple has went public about some consequences that could occur if this firmware was actually made. Tim Cooks wrote a letter that you can view here. Tim Cooks says,
Apple has went public about some consequences that could occur if this firmware was actually made. Tim Cooks wrote a letter that you can view here. Tim Cooks says,
We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.
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 bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.
Latter on he also says,
The Threat to Data Security
Some would argue that building a backdoor for just one iPhone is a simple, clean-cut solution. But it ignores both the basics of digital security and the significance of what the government is demanding in this case.
In today’s digital world, the “key” to an encrypted system is a piece of information that unlocks the data, and it is only as secure as the protections around it. Once the information is known, or a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge.
The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone. But that’s simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks — from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable.
The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals. The same engineers who built strong encryption into the iPhone to protect our users would, ironically, be ordered to weaken those protections and make our users less safe.
We can find no precedent for an American company being forced to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack. For years, cryptologists and national security experts have been warning against weakening encryption. Doing so would hurt only the well-meaning and law-abiding citizens who rely on companies like Apple to protect their data. Criminals and bad actors will still encrypt, using tools that are readily available to them.
Why should Apple be forced to undermine the integrity of their system which can put their users at risk? We strongly believe that Apple should not comply to the FBI but instead continue their stand. We ask for all to agree to sign this petition and vote in the poll beside this.
Thanks for reading. We want to remind you that this is not a light issue. This will affect a lot of people, even if they don't jailbreak. Spend the word and ask people to side with Apple!