FBI says it may not need Apple’s help to unlock San Bernardino iPhone
After all the hype and hoopla surrounding the U.S. government request to Apple for unlocking the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, the U.S. government may not need Apple to unlock the iPhone. The issue one which everyone was either with Apple or with the U.S. government could  used by the San Bernardino shooter, the FBI told a judge Monday.
A federal judge agreed to postpone a Tuesday court in the FBI vs. Apple case at the FBI’s request, after the FBI told the judge that a third party had “demonstrated an alternate method” for unlocking the iPhone used by the accused terrorist.
According to FBI filing, the agency needs more time to test the method revealed at the weekend, which would eliminate the need for Apple to cooperate with it in one of the most controversial case of recent times. Instead of Tuesday’s hearing, United States Magistrate Judge Sherri Pym ordered the government to file a status update by April 5.
FBI’s filing in the court states that, “As the FBI continued to conduct its own research, and as a result of the worldwide publicity and attention on this case, others outside the U.S. government have continued to contact the U.S. government offering avenues of possible research.”
In a statement, Department of Justice spokeswoman Melanie Newman said that the DOJ was “cautiously optimistic” that the proposed method would work, but cautioned that it needed to be tested first to ensure that it didn’t destroy data on the phone.
While the FBI didnt detail the procedure of the hack it had found, the tweets that follow immediately after the FBI’s court filing became public noted that FBI had found some sort of a “zero day” hack on iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system.
Meanwhile maverick entrepreneur, John McAfee sought to take credit for the latest FBI filing. He told told CNBC that he was “instrumental in the FBI’s change of heart.” McAfee had previously publicly offered to hack the phone for the FBI. He also responded to questions on Twitter about his possible involvement in the FBI’s latest move by saying, “I played a role.”
