Contrary to our earlier reports suggesting that Cellebrite, an Israeli company helped Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI crack San Bernardino Syed Farook’s iPhone, professional hackers who discovered and brought to the bureau at least one previously unknown software flaw, did the job, according those in the know.
The hackers who specialise in hunting for vulnerabilities in software were paid a one-time flat fee for the solution, as reported by Washington Post.
Different types of hackers exist. Those known as “white hats,” reveal weaknesses to companies responsible for the software or to the public so they can be fixed and are generally regarded as ethical. Others, called “black hats,” use the information to hack networks and steal people’s personal information.
However, the people who helped the FBI in the San Bernardino case fall into a third category, often considered ethically murky: researchers who sell flaws — for instance, to governments or to companies that make surveillance tools.
Report also has it that the solution proffered to the San Bernardino iPhone, has limited shelf life. A statement from FBI showed the solution works only on iPhone 5Cs running the iOS 9 operating system.
Many security and privacy experts have been calling on the government to disclose the vulnerability data to Apple so that the firm can mend it. But officials said it could be weeks before the FBI’s case and decision is revealed.
A statement from Apple [NASDAQ:AAPL] did not suggest it would sue the government to gain access to the solution, at least, for now. Celebrite has not denied nor confirm the authenticity of the story.
Featured image source: youtube.com
See Also
