"Security experts are not happy about the FBI's proposal to break security on an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino attack. Today, seven of those experts submitted their arguments in an amicus brief to the court considering the order, arguing the proposed software would weaken lockscreen protections for iPhone users around the world, with potentially dire consequences. The seven authors include iOS specialist Jonathan Zdziarski, famous cryptographer Bruce Schneier, and Charlie Miller, best known forrevealing vulnerabilities in Chrysler automotive systems. The brief is embedded in full below.
The brief's authors emphasize the danger the proposed "GovtOS" would pose if it fell into the wrong hands, a concern some have also raised outside of the court. "If [GovtOS escapes Apple's control], the custom code could be used by criminals and governments to extract sensitive personal and business data from seized, lost, or stolen iPhones," the brief reads, "or it could be reverse engineered, giving attackers a stepping stone on the path towards their goal of defeating Apple’s passcode security." As a result, the authors conclude that "in commanding Apple to create forensic software that would bypass iPhone security features, the Order endangers public safety.""
- Date Published:03/03/2016
- Original Publication:The Verge