FBI director says legal war on encryption far from over
FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday said the U.S. government will continue to wage legal war with tech companies to gain access to encrypted devices, intimating that such measures are weakening terror organizations like ISIL.

At an FBI briefing, Comey said gaining privileged access to passcode locked -- or otherwise protected -- devices is an important national security concern as encryption is now "essential tradecraft" of terror groups, reports Reuters. He suggested FBI investigations, including those that involve digital evidence retrieval, are helping dissuade Americans from joining militant groups.
"I think the ISIL brand has lost significant power in the United States," Comey said, adding that his agency currently has more than 1,000 ongoing investigations into individuals in danger of being radicalized.
The Department of Justice sparked contentious debate over rights to personal encryption when it requested Apple cooperate in accessing deceased San Bernardino terror suspect Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone in February. Apple, citing the potential fallout of creating a software workaround to installed iOS protections, resisted the warrant. At the behest of an All Writs Act motion, a federal magistrate judge consequently compelled Apple's compliance, but the court action stopped short of reaching an initial evidentiary hearing, as an effective workaround presented by an outside party prompted the FBI to withdraw its case in an eleventh hour decision.
According to today's report, the FBI is attempting to apply the iPhone exploit to other cases, but has so far been unsuccessful. Comey said much the same last month when he revealed the forensics tool only applies to iPhone 5c models and older. The FBI has unlocked some 500 devices since October, though none are the same configuration as Farook's iPhone 5c running iOS 9.
Comey did not elaborate on upcoming litigation, but the FBI has yet to notch a win when it comes to AWA motions. The agency appears to be focusing on Apple, lodging -- and ultimately withdrawing -- two high-profile court cases in San Bernardino and a similar AWA action in New York.

At an FBI briefing, Comey said gaining privileged access to passcode locked -- or otherwise protected -- devices is an important national security concern as encryption is now "essential tradecraft" of terror groups, reports Reuters. He suggested FBI investigations, including those that involve digital evidence retrieval, are helping dissuade Americans from joining militant groups.
"I think the ISIL brand has lost significant power in the United States," Comey said, adding that his agency currently has more than 1,000 ongoing investigations into individuals in danger of being radicalized.
The Department of Justice sparked contentious debate over rights to personal encryption when it requested Apple cooperate in accessing deceased San Bernardino terror suspect Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone in February. Apple, citing the potential fallout of creating a software workaround to installed iOS protections, resisted the warrant. At the behest of an All Writs Act motion, a federal magistrate judge consequently compelled Apple's compliance, but the court action stopped short of reaching an initial evidentiary hearing, as an effective workaround presented by an outside party prompted the FBI to withdraw its case in an eleventh hour decision.
According to today's report, the FBI is attempting to apply the iPhone exploit to other cases, but has so far been unsuccessful. Comey said much the same last month when he revealed the forensics tool only applies to iPhone 5c models and older. The FBI has unlocked some 500 devices since October, though none are the same configuration as Farook's iPhone 5c running iOS 9.
Comey did not elaborate on upcoming litigation, but the FBI has yet to notch a win when it comes to AWA motions. The agency appears to be focusing on Apple, lodging -- and ultimately withdrawing -- two high-profile court cases in San Bernardino and a similar AWA action in New York.
Comments
The FBI is hoping people will put short passcodes? Hope away dear FBI, cause that's the only way you're getting into those encrypted phones.
The use of the word unlocked for those phone is utter bullshit; just like the abuse of the word "hacked".
This is complete and utter nonsense Comey; nice try though.
Hire a better bull shit artist next time.
How does Comey not see that this is tarnishing the FBI's brand? He really needs to stop talking.
next thing he'll be flat out saying "the war on your property is not over!!"
2. The most successful terrorist attacks in recent history have used devices that did not employ any encryption. Secondly terrorists are now making a habit of destroying devices that they presumably used to coordinate their attacks, completely circumventing any advantage weaker security would bring to the FBI.
3. For each terror attack in recent history, including September 11, there were sufficient clues, warning signs, signals and chatter which were completely overlooked by the government authorities leading up to the attack.
4. Terrorism such as ISIL is the direct result of the USA's exceedingly poor approach to foreign policy. The USA had a president that described the war in Iraq as a "crusade", a high ranking general who proudly bragged that he'd be "eating a big mac in Baghdad." The indiscriminate killing of foreign civilians is a significant driver of recruitment for terrorist groups and those that which to convey extremism. To them it would look as if USA is the aggressor in a genocide-like campaign. It would be trivial for an extremist group to spin the USA's actions as Zionism. This is the USA's core problem, not whether or not they can unlock a digital device used by an attacker after the fact.
My answer will be to vote for Trump. That way people like Comey will also have his personal cell phone monitored also. Obama loves the patriot act so much that it's time for him to be subject to its actions as Trump monitors all of his personal communications also.
It only took 19 posts for you to go into the ignore pile : a record.
The argument that they can roll their own encryption is an important one. It is often overlooked, and yet, they have been doing it for years. There are a number of open source libraries out there that make this possible. They don't even need to create new ones. There are also a number of apps that fly under the radar that make use of heavy encryption for communication. The FBI is either clueless or on a political path... both thoughts scare me.
Intelligence agencies have to sift through a huge amount of chaff to find a few grains of wheat, and they always have.