14 DAY TRIAL // Recent reports have shown that a device called GrayKey can break into any encrypted iPhone regardless of the passcode complexity, and the parent company is selling this tool to governments for just $15,000.
And while Apple has remained tight-lipped on this alleged hacking box, US police departments aren’t losing any minute and rushed to purchase the cracking equipment, according to a report from Motherboard.
The FBI has long been a big supporter of iPhone backdoors and Director Christopher Wray emphasized the need for ways to break into smartphones on every occasion, calling for tech giants to support investigations against criminals and terrorists.
But while companies like Apple refused to develop backdoors for their devices, police departments have started looking into other hacking methods, and GrayKey landed just at the right time. The cited source says it has found evidence that several regional police forces already purchased GrayKey, while others attended devices demoes and are currently exploring the possibility of buying the product.
Police buying hacking devices
The Maryland State Police and Indiana State Police acquired GrayKey already, while Miami-Dade County Police is believed to be doing the same thing. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has recently been offered quotations for the hacking box, while the US Secret Service “is planning to buy at least half a dozen” devices to break into iPhones.
Furthermore, the State Department is already on the list of clients, which is very likely to be expanded very soon with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
GrayKey is a hacking box that can break into any iPhone running any iOS version, including the most recent iOS 11 releases. Since Apple hasn’t commented on the news pointing to its devices being vulnerable to such hacks, it’s believed the company is still looking into the used vulnerability in an attempt to patch it in a future software update.
For the time being, however, law enforcement is believed to make full use of the hacking box, though statistics in this regard are not yet available. Earlier this year, the FBI said it has some 7,800 encrypted devices that it cannot unlock as part of criminal investigations.