"$100 store-bought kit can help anyone hack into Iphone Passcodes..." The FBI paid about $1.3 million for software to break into the iPhone of a gunman. It turns out that a computer scientist, Sergei Skorobogatov, found a store bought kit worth less than $100 to bypass the limit on password retry attempts. This allows someone to enter in multiple combinations until the phone is unlocked, when typically it only lets you enter it wrong up to six times. This would only take about two days to cycle through all the possible passcodes to break into an iPhone. According to the article the kit can be bought online from eBay, Amazon, or Alibaba for about $100. A similar technique can also be implemented on the newer devices, iPhone 6s and 7, it would just require "more sophisticated hardware". Skorobogatov was able to do what the FBI thought was impossible, what the FBI had to pay a lot more than $100 for.
I chose this because it is shocking that the FBI wanted to get into the gunman's phone so badly, they were willing to do whatever it took. When there was such a simple route they could have taken. It also relates to class and ethical issues. We actually talked about a similar if not the same topic in class recently as we did our presentations. There was a potential “terrorist” who the FBI wanted information on which they claimed to belong on his phone. The FBI asked Apple if they could have access to this information on the user's phone, but Apple refused. The FBI didn’t take no for an answer of course so they found someone who was capable of hacking into the person’s phone anyways. Apple was not happy to hear they went behind their backs and hacked into their system and demanded to know how they managed to pull it off. Of course, the FBI refused to give away their “secrets” for how they hacked into the user’s phone. I can understand why Apple wouldn’t want to allow the FBI hack into the user’s phone because of privacy agreements, etc, but if there is a case that is threatening other people’s lives then there should be a way for them to give the FBI the information needed. I do not however agree that the FBI should just be allowed to access whatever information they want from Apple and any other company on that aspect. When the FBI wanted access to the San Bernardino gunman, apple wouldn't allow it because they were worried that it would require weakening the security of all iPhones. This led the US government to find another way to get into the phone. They forced the tech company into getting access to the phone, a whopping $1.3 million later, Comey said it was "worth it". The FBI has been saying that we should create a bill to make it easier to access encrypted communications, however that will only make us less secure. We should change the way law enforcements handles these encryptions and devices.
1 Comment
Luigi
5/17/2017 06:32:25 pm
A huge topic of concern, and I am glad to read your blog about it. It is a dangerous situation with technology we find ourselves in, and I don't think there are any easy answers. Yes privacy must be maintained, but at what price? The US government is hardly an example of integrity and honesty, but somewhere in all this we need to find some balance. Great blog!
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Author: Jenn schopferHi my name is Jenn, I'm a Senior at CSUMB. Studying Communication Design with an emphasis in Web Design. And this is my blog! Enjoy! Archives
March 2017
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