The FBI cannot do this themselves because removing this limitation would require the installation of a new version of iOS, which itself requires its own key that is known only to Apple.

The FBI is asking Apple to remove these limitations: allow more than 10 passcode tries, remove the five-second delay (there would still be an 80-millisecond delay if the computation is done on the device due to a hardware limitation), and allow passcodes to be entered by a separate device instead of a human finger.

In addition, the passcode must be entered on the device’s touchscreen. Given that this is an obvious way to break into an iPhone, Apple has instituted a number of software-based protections against brute force attacks, specifically a (user-selected) option to delete the contents of the disk after 10 failed passcode entries 1 and a five-second delay between passcode entries. This passcode, in conjunction with the iPhone’s unique ID key (UID) that is embedded at manufacture and unknown by Apple, forms a “key” that unlocks the contents of the drive. try every possible combination - the passcode on the device. Therefore, the most realistic way to get access to the contents of the iPhone in question in this case is to brute force - i.e. To understand the issue it is necessary to separate them, but to figure out which side may win it is equally critical to understand how they relate to each other.Īs I laid out last week, iPhones running iOS 8 or later have all of their contents encrypted on-disk with very strong encryption that is practically unbreakable. The first thing to understand about the issue at hand is that there are three separate debates going on: the issue at hand, the encryption debate, and the PR battle. My goal with this piece is to, in as plain language as possible, lay out the issues at hand, give a framework to think about them, and explain why I am ultimately supporting Apple’s decision.

In large part this is because the dispute itself is being serially mischaracterized by both Apple supporters and detractors.Īpple supporters are, in my estimation, too easily conflating the security issues at hand with the more fundamental debate about encryption detractors are trivializing the significance of the FBI’s request by suggesting they simply want Apple to unlock the phone. The dispute between Apple and the FBI is a much closer question than it is being framed as in most of the tech press.

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