[Photo by Sae-jin Park]
Apple had denied California court order to help the FBI to break into an iPhone of a criminal, Sayed Farook, who is responsible for killing of 14 people in San Bernardino. Apple CEO Tim Cook explained that the backdoor FBI requested poses as s major threat to other iPhone users. But a security firm, “Trail of Bits” suggests that there may be another way.
The problem FBI was trying to solve is- to find a way around an Apple’s encryption system, which when 10 failed passcode attempts are detected, the iPhone automatically erases all information on its storage. FBI had requested Apple so that the company to create a tool to override the security process to ignore wrong passcode attempts.
Regarding this tricky situation, Trail of Bits wrote on its blog that there may be a way for Apple to help FBI without making backdoor software.
FBI had prompted Apple that the bureau wishes to try a brute force to breach into Farook’s iPhone, which means punching in all digits from 0000 to 9999 to find a passcode, but the automated security system is the obstacle holding the FBI back.
Trail of Bits says that it is possible to put the iPhone into DFU mode and overwrite the firmware to an earlier version which does not have the auto-erase mode. This process can only be done with valid Apple’s signature.
The security firm suggests that Apple could downgrade the firmware with a valid signature and hand the smartphone back to the FBI.
Although this method may seem to be the perfect way for Apple and the FBI to do their job without a possibility of further violation of people’s privacy, some security experts say the method suggested by Trail of Bits is not possible since the process would destroy the security key, making the smartphone useless.
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reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
