FBI paid over $1.34M for hack into San Bernardino iPhone, agency's director says
The FBI paid more than $1.34 million to hack into the iPhone 5c of dead San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook, agency director James Comey admitted on Thursday.
Speaking in front of the Aspen Security Forum in London, Comey declined to offer a precise figure, but said that it would be "more than I will make in the remainder of this job," according to Reuters. The director added that he will be with the FBI for at least another seven years and four months. As of January 2015, his annual salary was $183,300.
He described the expense as "worth it" in his view, noting that the FBI will be able to use the technique on other iPhone 5c models running iOS 9. Until this year the FBI had never paid more than $1 million for access to a hacking technique.
What kind of hack the FBI used on Farook's phone is still a secret, and something Apple has been working to discover. In withdrawing its court order against Apple, the U.S. Department of Justice did say it received help from a third party, also undisclosed.
Reports initially suggested that forensics firm Cellebrite was responsible. Later however sources for the Washington Post suggested it was a hacker group, paid a one-time fee in exchange for an undocumented exploit.
CNN sources have claimed that even though the FBI didn't find any new information on Farook's phone, this in itself proved useful, since it seemed to support a belief that Farook and his wife didn't contact any outside conspirators.
Speaking in front of the Aspen Security Forum in London, Comey declined to offer a precise figure, but said that it would be "more than I will make in the remainder of this job," according to Reuters. The director added that he will be with the FBI for at least another seven years and four months. As of January 2015, his annual salary was $183,300.
He described the expense as "worth it" in his view, noting that the FBI will be able to use the technique on other iPhone 5c models running iOS 9. Until this year the FBI had never paid more than $1 million for access to a hacking technique.
What kind of hack the FBI used on Farook's phone is still a secret, and something Apple has been working to discover. In withdrawing its court order against Apple, the U.S. Department of Justice did say it received help from a third party, also undisclosed.
Reports initially suggested that forensics firm Cellebrite was responsible. Later however sources for the Washington Post suggested it was a hacker group, paid a one-time fee in exchange for an undocumented exploit.
CNN sources have claimed that even though the FBI didn't find any new information on Farook's phone, this in itself proved useful, since it seemed to support a belief that Farook and his wife didn't contact any outside conspirators.
Comments
FBI hack: $1.34 million
Un-crackable Secure Enclave: priceless.
Since Comey is not smart enough to understand the inductive fallacy, his services are not worth $183,000 per year.
Defending the constitution, solving/preventing crime, national defense and ensuring the integrity of our food and medical supplies as well as our financial systems are the most important things the federal government can do. Virtually everything else is superfluous and should be managed by individuals or more local government entities. A waste of public funds.
The joke is on us, the middle class taxpayer, as always.
Investors and Wall Street should rejoice.
I didn't realize the FBI did all this. (I think they tend to challenge the constitution more than they defend it) Anyway, while these things you lumped together are all important things they are not the primary purpose of our society. In fact, societies that make these things their primary purpose actually run out of crimes and threats and start manufacturing them to justify the perpetual police state. Crime and threat prevention is important but it is not an ends justify the means kind of important.
hey Comey, I have a stone bridge to sell to you.