Investigators Are Lying, They Can Crack San Bernardino Shooter’s iPhone After All

Image courtesy Anastasiarasputin, available under a Creative Commons-Noncommercial license
Image courtesy Anastasiarasputin, available under a Creative Commons-Noncommercial license

When the FBI convinced a judge to order Apple to help it crack the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, it claimed that there was no other way for it to get its hands on the data inside the phone. But several cybersecurity experts say that there is a way for investigators to crack that phone without Apple’s help. It’s difficult as all hell, but it can be done.

In court filings supporting its request for Apple’s help, the Justice Department contended that the phone may contain “critical communication and data” related to Farook’s plans, and that information “cannot be accessed” by any means short of Apple creating a workaround for the encryption installed on Farook’s phone. An FBI forensic investigator gave a sworn statement saying that he had “explored other means” of getting the data, but had been “unable to identify” any other way to do so. Apple contends that complying with this order could not only weaken the right to privacy, but open the door for black-hat hackers and governments that are not nearly as respectful of privacy rights to get their hands on our data.

But ABC News learned that Edward Snowden told an audience at a virtual talk hosted by Johns Hopkins University that there is a way for investigators to get their hands on that data–a process called “de-capping.” It involves taking the memory chip out of a phone and removing its encapsulation so it can be microscopically examined. Snowden was blunt–the FBI told the courts that it needed Apple’s help to get inside Farook’s iPhone when it was well aware that there was a way it could be done without Apple’s help. Simply put, Snowden said, “the FBI does not want to do this.”

Cybersecurity expert Andrew Zonenberg explained how Farook’s iPhone could be de-capped. After taking out the chip, the hacker would use strong acid to remove its encapsulation, then drill into the chip with a focused ion beam. He would then expose the portion of the chip containing the unique ID on Farook’s phone. He would then insert probes on that section of the chip, and also extract the algorithm used to create the key that unlocks the phone. With that information loaded onto a supercomputer, the hacker would then try all possible combinations for Farook’s passkey until he finds one that works. Since it’s not actually using iOS to do it, Farook’s iPhone wouldn’t “self-destruct” after 10 unsuccessful attempts.

In order to do this, the hacker has to know exactly what he is doing. Dan Guido of cybersecurity firm Trail of Bits says that if the ion beam or X-ray is off by just “a couple of nanometers,” it could destroy the chip. Another cybersecurity expert who works in military intelligence is even more blunt–de-capping involves “some super-risky cyber-level s**t.” Zonenberg isn’t sure that anyone in the FBI can do it, but is fairly certain that Snowden’s former employer, the National Security Agency, has done it several times.

The point is, though, that it can be done–and that’s all that should matter. The government is constitutionally required to use the least invasive way to get this sort of information. De-capping offers a way to do so without creating what Apple describes as a backdoor. FBI director James Comey says that his investigators owe it to the victims to see what information is on that iPhone. Well, he also owes it to the American people in a way that doesn’t risk our privacy.

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.