Apple iphone passcode reset government software#

District Court in Los Angeles rules that Apple must provide “reasonable technical assistance” to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in their efforts to break into Farook’s iPhone 5C. The FBI director notes that Apple’s encryption measures, which would disable Farook’s iPhone temporarily and remove user data off of the device if an incorrect passcode is entered too many times, continues to present a major obstacle to investigators. “We still have one of those killer’s phones that we haven’t been able to open,” Comey told members of the Senate Intelligence Committee during a hearing on homeland security. James Comey tells a Senate panel that investigators involved with the San Bernardino case are still attempting to unlock Farook’s iPhone 5C they recovered from the couple’s vehicle back in December. The FBI opens a counter-terrorism investigation into the couple following a statement issued by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in which the terrorist organization identifies the shooters as “supporters.” February 9, 2016 The couple is killed several hours later in a shootout with police. Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his 29-year-old wife Tashfeen Malik kill 14 and wound 22 in a mass shooting and attempted bombing at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. Such technologies prohibit the FBI from disrupting a number of IS plots, he claims, which necessitates that law enforcement engage in a “debate” with communications providers such as Apple over the possibility of inserting backdoors into encryption technology.

Apple iphone passcode reset government software#

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) and the Software & Information Industry Association, of which Apple is a member, write a letter to President Obama urging him “not to pursue any policy or proposal that would require or encourage companies to weaken, including the weakening of encryption or creating encryption ‘work-arounds.'” July 8, 2015įBI Director James Comey testifies before the Senate’s judiciary and intelligence committees that the Islamic State’s use of end-to-end encryption places a “devil” on the shoulders of potential recruits “saying kill, kill, kill, kill”.

The timeline below summarizes how this controversy has played out thus far.

This story dates back to the late spring of 2015. Apple has been making headlines recently for its refusal to comply with a court order requiring it to help federal authorities unlock a mass shooter’s iPhone.