14 DAY TRIAL // FBI has recently dropped its case against Apple in the San Bernardino iPhone saga after it managed to hack the device used by one of the terrorists without the company’s help, but the feds now seem to be looking to unlock another phone in a completely different case.
The FBI is said to be planning to hack an iPhone and an iPad involved in a homicide case in Arkansas, once again without Apple’s help.
The two devices are related to an investigation against two teenagers who were previously accused of killing a couple in Arkansas, with sources close to the matter suggesting that prosecutors expect to find evidence that might incriminate the two on the Apple products.
While it’s not yet clear what iPhone and iPod models are involved in the case, it appears that the prosecutors couldn’t hack the devices on their own and are now asking the FBI to step in and help break in and access stored data.
Same hack or another one?
The two devices were seized in July last year, but since the investigators couldn’t break in, they were left untouched as the prosecutors were searching for other evidence. Now if the FBI manages to unlock them, it’s believed that critical information, such as communications between the two suspects, could be found.
What’s worrying for Apple is that, in order to unlock these devices, the FBI might be using the same hack that was employed in the San Bernardino iPhone case, despite the fact that the feds specifically said that method would only be used once.
Also, if there’s another way to break into this new iPhone, Apple’s customers could thus be exposed to two different vulnerabilities that would allow the FBI to access their devices, so the company had better lock down iOS as soon as possible to make sure that no such thing is possible.
Rumor has it that Apple is already working on a hacker-proof version of the iPhone, but until it arrives, the FBI seems to be willing to unlock as many units as possible.