Pretty much any iPhone 5c can be unlocked by the FBI

Apr 22, 2016 09:17 GMT  ·  By

Although the FBI originally said that the San Bernardino iPhone hacked only worked on that device and the agency could not unlock other iPhones, it appears that this wasn’t entirely true.

At a recent event, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey revealed that software used to break into the iPhone 5c belonging to the San Bernardino shooter can be employed to unlock other iPhones as well, as long as they’re 5c running iOS 9, Reuters reports.

This statement comes only a few weeks after the FBI assured everyone that its unlocking software only worked on that terrorist’s iPhone and Apple customers across the country were not at risk.

Vague statements

Truth be told, James Comey has always been rather vague when describing the purpose of the hacking method, as he only stated that “newer iPhones,” such as the 6s, 6s Plus and SE cannot be hacked with the solution used to break into the San Bernardino device.

“Litigation between the government and Apple over the San Bernardino phone has ended, because the government has purchased, from a private party, a way to get into that phone, 5C, running iOS 9,” Comey said earlier this month when the FBI managed to unlock the device with help from this private party.

Although it was initially believed that the FBI worked with Israeli tech firm Cellebrite to access the iPhone, it appears that the agency actually hired a group of hackers to do it, paying in exchange more than $1.3 million (€1.1 million) for the service.

If Comey’s statement is true, it means that the FBI is still holding the software method developed by hackers and that the agency can use it again when it finds a new iPhone 5c involved in criminal investigations. And what’s more, the bureau doesn’t want to share any details with Apple because the company might block it.

“We tell Apple, then they're going to fix it, then we're back where we started from. We may end up there, we just haven't decided yet,” Comey concluded earlier this month.