Even Apple Might Not Be Able to Crack Open Its Next iPhone

Mashable
Updated
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Apple is working on strengthening the iPhone’s security measures, making it even harder for government agencies to break into an encrypted device, the New York Times reports, citing sources close to the company.

The fact that Apple is constantly working on improving various facets of the iPhone software, encryption included, is no news. But the NYT report claims the Cupertino company is specifically working to eliminate the approach the FBI is trying to exploit in order to crack open the iPhone of one of the gunmen who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December.

SEE ALSO: Tim Cook on FBI fight: ‘This case is not about one phone. This case is about the future’

Specifically, the FBI wants Apple to use a feature that lets the company update the firmware of a locked iPhone without using a passcode, with the new firmware enabling the agency’s experts to brute-force crack the passcode. The phone that belonged to the San Bernardino shooter is an older one, an iPhone 5C, but a similar approach might work with the newer variants as well.

Now, Apple is working on removing that possibility from newer iPhones. One of NYT’s sources claims the company had begun working on that even before the San Bernardino attack, and several independent security researchers said it’s definitely possible.

“A lot of the security updates in the future will be not just to keep the hackers out, but to keep themselves out until the user authorizes the update,” security researcher Jonathan Zdziarski told the Washington Post, which also reported on the story.

Security and hackers always play a cat and mouse game, and no system is ever safe from being hacked into, especially if you have physical access to it. But Apple’s new efforts could mean that, at least for the foreseeable future, the company would not be able to help a government agency crack open an iPhone even if it wanted to.

In a nutshell, the FBI claims it’s simply trying to get Apple to help it crack open a terrorist’s iPhone, and the request got the support of many Americans and some public figures, including Donald Trump. In an interview with ABC World News Tonight’s David Muir on Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook explained the company’s stance on the issue, calling it one of Apple’s biggest challenges. "We need to stand tall and stand tall on principle. Our job is to protect our customers,” he said.