From what I understand is the Health Department (owner of the iPhone) tried to change the password.
"Buzzfeed’s news article repeatedly uses the word “government” without specifying the specific branch. According to today’s filing it was the local Health Department in San Bernardino (again, the technical “owner” of the phone) that mishandled it. So yes, it was technically a government entity that mishandled the phone. That government entity was the terrorist’s employer. But with Apple’s anonymous conference call, they clearly want the public to assume it was the FBI’s fault."
It's still a ruse to gain access to the iOS backdoor, I don't think he'd have his personal dealings on the work phone.
The FBI is going to come out of this looking like the Frackin' Bloody Idiots that they are
I think that it was a huge mistake on their part to make this public and come out admitting that they spent months trying to hack into an iPhone, and failed.
To be honest, I thought that iPhones could be hacked, especially if it was being done by the NSA or CIA or FBI or DOJ. I guess not.
Why not just take the phone to Apple? If they had to apply a patch to circumvent the security, at least this patch could stay in Apple's hands. Unless this case is not about the data, but more to force a backdoor.
In response to a Department of Justice motion to compel Apple's cooperation in the unlocking of an iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists, company executives on Friday revealed the Apple ID passcode linked to that device was changed while the handset was in government hands, effectively blocking attempts to retrieve an iCloud backup.
The Apple ID used to sync Syed Ryzwan Farook's iPhone 5c with Apple's iCloud was modified less than 24 hours after the device was impounded by the government, BuzzFeed News reports. Apple says the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, the phone's owner and Farook's former employer, changed the account passcode.
If the passcode was not changed, FBI officials might have been able to procure a backup of the data it is currently attempting to suss out of the phone itself, the company said. The most recent backup was logged six weeks prior to the San Bernardino attack. It is not known whether Farook intentionally shut off iCloud backups or simply ran out of storage space.
Further, Apple has been conducting "regular" discussions with government entities since early January regarding methods by which data from Farook's iPhone 5c may be recovered. According to the report, Apple proposed four different options for data recovery, none of which involved building a software backdoor into iOS.
Apple first discovered that the passcode had been changed in attempting one of the suggested workarounds. The method, seemingly involving the offloading of a backup to iCloud before recovering it from Apple's servers, leveraged an iPhone convenience feature in which the device automatically connects to a known Wi-Fi network. Apple engineers were unable to complete the process due to the updated Apple ID passcode.
The implications of this new development could damage the government's case. The DOJ on Friday filed a motion to force Apple's compliance in aiding the FBI's data extraction efforts, a task that now requires the creation of a software backdoor.
Apple does comply with valid law enforcement data requests, and has in the past handed over information related to criminal investigations gleaned from its servers. The DOJ itself notes prior cooperation in its Friday motion to compel. The company has not, however, been asked to create a forensics tool that would ostensibly break iOS encryption.
The sticky situation could have been avoided if the associated Apple ID passcode was not changed, Apple says.
Apple says the government opened the door to public scrutiny when it filed its motion to compel. The company proposed the FBI officials keep its requests sealed, but the agency decided to seek a court order demanding Apple's cooperation.
Update: Apple executives confirmed San Bernardino county officials changed the passcode. This article has been updated to reflect the new information.
If this report is accurate . . . it is ominous in terms of government veracity. Have people in the government EVER been known to lie in order to get information? Pinocchio would seem like a choirboy in that crowd.
If this report is accurate . . . it is ominous in terms of government veracity. Have people in the government EVER been known to lie in order to get information? Pinocchio would seem like a choirboy in that crowd.
How did they change the Apple ID associated with the phone if the phone was locked?
Easy. Since this phone was owned by San Bernardino County and they admitted that they changed the passcode, the phone had to have been managed by MDM software. I've asked this question multiple times and now I have the answer. What I'm waiting to hear is that San Bernardino County IT staff made regular backups of the software as part of their MDM system. The IT staff should also have an admin passcode installed that could effectively open up at least the business partition. It's unknown if the user used a separate partition in the iPhone for personal use or just used the corporate partition. The only way the San Bernardino officials could have changed the passcode is if they had the original passcode or performed the change remotely. What's surprising is that the FBI had the iPhone and let the officials make the change. This shows they are incompetent and should be fired, right after they tell the entire world what they did. As others have said, the FBI allowed the phone to be "bricked" so Apple is off the hook. Now I want to hear an apology from all those politicians, especially the idiot Donald Trump, for all the slanderous comments they've made.
How did they change the Apple ID associated with the phone if the phone was locked?
The didn't change the Apple ID. They changed the passcode (I will use password from here on) associated with the AppleID probably via appleid.apple.com. However, that new password would have to be entered into the iPhone (Settings-iCloud) to have that iPhone activate iCloud backup, else it can't connect. Somebody probably thought they would change the password to get at the data in iCloud, found out the data hadn't been backed up in months (or at all), then learned that they couldn't get the iPhone to start auto backup without entering the new AppleID password in settings, and because they didn't know the original password, could not set it back. Now they are stuck with an iPhone that can't back up to iCloud and they can't change to the new password because they don't know the 4-digit PASSCODE to access the iPhone. Thus, because the FBI screwed up, they want Apple to create a software hack to bypass the 'Wipe data after 10 wrong passcode attempts' so they can brute force the device; easier to do with only 4 numeric digits, especially when you have to use 4, not 1, 2 or 3. Once the iPhone passcode is broken, then the FBI can enter the NEW AppleID password to get the phone to sync with iCloud, but then it won't be necessary because they can now simply copy everything to a computer.
In other words, they want Apple to save their butt for doing something they thought was smart, but didn't work, so they try Plan B and Apple balks.
CORRECTION: Password changed by SB County, not FBI. Still, FBI should first go after county for screwing them, not Apple.
The troubling thing is...outside of the incompetence of the FBI...is that they think there actually might be information on the phone. I'm sure it was no accident that cloud backup was stopped weeks before the attack and a high probability that the device was wiped and restored to factory settings before the attack happened. Do you think the terrorists would leave behind a treasure trove of data exposing others in the plot? These guys didn't just walk out of a cave and start using technology yesterday.
How did they change the Apple ID associated with the phone if the phone was locked?
The didn't change the Apple ID. They changed the passcode (I will use password from here on) associated with the AppleID probably via appleid.apple.com. However, that new password would have to be entered into the iPhone (Settings-iCloud) to have that iPhone activate iCloud backup, else it can't connect. Somebody probably thought they would change the password to get at the data in iCloud, found out the data hadn't been backed up in months (or at all), then learned that they couldn't get the iPhone to start auto backup without entering the new AppleID password in settings, and because they didn't know the original password, could not set it back. Now they are stuck with an iPhone that can't back up to iCloud and they can't change to the new password because they don't know the 4-digit PASSCODE to access the iPhone. Thus, because the FBI screwed up, they want Apple to create a software hack to bypass the 'Wipe data after 10 wrong passcode attempts' so they can brute force the device; easier to do with only 4 numeric digits, especially when you have to use 4, not 1, 2 or 3. Once the iPhone passcode is broken, then the FBI can enter the NEW AppleID password to get the phone to sync with iCloud, but then it won't be necessary because they can now simply copy everything to a computer.
In other words, they want Apple to save their butt for doing something they thought was smart, but didn't work, so they try Plan B and Apple balks.
OK but even if they hadn't changed the password apparently there were no iCloud backups after Oct 19 so i'm assuming none this person turned off iCloud backup in settings? if that's the case how is it possible to get backups without actually getting into the phone itself and turning that setting back on?
Did FBI try to contact the carrier this iPhone is subscribed to? The carrier should be able to give FBI all the people the killer has talked to. This information is probably what FBI is looking for.
The troubling thing is...outside of the incompetence of the FBI...is that they think there actually might be information on the phone. I'm sure it was no accident that cloud backup was stopped weeks before the attack and a high probability that the device was wiped and restored to factory settings before the attack happened. Do you think the terrorists would leave behind a treasure trove of data exposing others in the plot? These guys didn't just walk out of a cave and start using technology yesterday.
Especially since they completely destroyed their other phones.
The FBI should have gone to Apple to disable all access to changes on phone after this happened (that Apple would have complied with).. That way, all acounts and phone would have been frozen and this would not have happened.
The didn't change the Apple ID. They changed the passcode (I will use password from here on) associated with the AppleID probably via appleid.apple.com. However, that new password would have to be entered into the iPhone (Settings-iCloud) to have that iPhone activate iCloud backup, else it can't connect. Somebody probably thought they would change the password to get at the data in iCloud, found out the data hadn't been backed up in months (or at all), then learned that they couldn't get the iPhone to start auto backup without entering the new AppleID password in settings, and because they didn't know the original password, could not set it back. Now they are stuck with an iPhone that can't back up to iCloud and they can't change to the new password because they don't know the 4-digit PASSCODE to access the iPhone. Thus, because the FBI screwed up, they want Apple to create a software hack to bypass the 'Wipe data after 10 wrong passcode attempts' so they can brute force the device; easier to do with only 4 numeric digits, especially when you have to use 4, not 1, 2 or 3. Once the iPhone passcode is broken, then the FBI can enter the NEW AppleID password to get the phone to sync with iCloud, but then it won't be necessary because they can now simply copy everything to a computer.
Yes, this is it exactly.
Had they not reset his AppleID password via the web, if the phone were plugged in to power and on a known/trusted WIFI network, and it was set to iCloud Backup, then it would automatically do so — at which point I believe they have a solution for recovering said backup from iCloud (via a new iOS device added to the account and restored from said backup after resetting the password perhaps? not sure). But whatever method was what Apple was attempting for them, only to find that someone had already reset the password, foiling their plan.
I had to go read about this somewhere else as the AI article is impenetrable, much like the guy's phone.
Did FBI try to contact the carrier this iPhone is subscribed to? The carrier should be able to give FBI all the people the killer has talked to. This information is probably what FBI is looking for.
Not if the terrorists used something like iMessage or FaceTime. That would only be some encrypted data with connections to Apple's servers to the cellular provider.
The troubling thing is...outside of the incompetence of the FBI...is that they think there actually might be information on the phone. I'm sure it was no accident that cloud backup was stopped weeks before the attack and a high probability that the device was wiped and restored to factory settings before the attack happened. Do you think the terrorists would leave behind a treasure trove of data exposing others in the plot? These guys didn't just walk out of a cave and start using technology yesterday.
Comments
"Buzzfeed’s news article repeatedly uses the word “government” without specifying the specific branch. According to today’s filing it was the local Health Department in San Bernardino (again, the technical “owner” of the phone) that mishandled it. So yes, it was technically a government entity that mishandled the phone. That government entity was the terrorist’s employer. But with Apple’s anonymous conference call, they clearly want the public to assume it was the FBI’s fault."
It's still a ruse to gain access to the iOS backdoor, I don't think he'd have his personal dealings on the work phone.
To be honest, I thought that iPhones could be hacked, especially if it was being done by the NSA or CIA or FBI or DOJ. I guess not.
Incompetence runs from the city level to the presidency.
Quote & Reply
*they are, of course, under no legal obligation to do anything
That way, all acounts and phone would have been frozen and this would not have happened.
Yes, incompetency.
Had they not reset his AppleID password via the web, if the phone were plugged in to power and on a known/trusted WIFI network, and it was set to iCloud Backup, then it would automatically do so — at which point I believe they have a solution for recovering said backup from iCloud (via a new iOS device added to the account and restored from said backup after resetting the password perhaps? not sure). But whatever method was what Apple was attempting for them, only to find that someone had already reset the password, foiling their plan.
I had to go read about this somewhere else as the AI article is impenetrable, much like the guy's phone.
EDIT: I see the story was updated.