FBI demands Apple hack iPhone on their behalf

[Tacticslion]

Ah, thanks.

So, hey, is that unnamed third party McAfee? /tongue-in-cheek
That said, it could be, but I find it unlikely. It seems more like the kind of thing he'd be mentioning everywhere he could. But I may just be off about the guy; it's just the impression I get.

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

Tacticslion wrote:

Nutcase Entertainment wrote:

The FBI is apparently pausing the court order...

Is there a reason given?

Speculation is that the FBI did not want to face a cross-examination where they may have to admit that they did not try all possible means to crack the phone.

Further speculation is that the main purpose the FBI has in setting this trial is that they want to establish a legal precedent to force a company to circumvent and or weaken it's own security technology, so they really don't want to risk losing the case as opposed to backing off momentarily if they've got weak ground.

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

Tacticslion wrote:

Ah, thanks.

So, hey, is that unnamed third party McAfee? /tongue-in-cheek
That said, it could be, but I find it unlikely. It seems more like the kind of thing he'd be mentioning everywhere he could. But I may just be off about the guy; it's just the impression I get.

Your impression is dead on. The guy's been off his nut since he sold McAfee.

[Orfamay Quest]

Tacticslion wrote:

Ah, thanks.

So, hey, is that unnamed third party McAfee?

Er,... how the hell should I know?

Quote:

That said, it could be, but I find it unlikely. It seems more like the kind of thing he'd be mentioning everywhere he could. But I may just be off about the guy; it's just the impression I get.

I'm inclined to agree. One of the first things you learn in the "real" security business is to Keep Your Flipping Mouth Shut. The people you do real business with already know who you are (or will soon) and want to make sure not only that you can do the stuff they need, but will also be able to keep your involvement quiet.

McAfee doesn't seem to have learned that lesson.

Even if I had any guesses as to who this third party might be, I'd get no thanks from anyone except perhaps Gawker if I named them.

[Tacticslion]

Tacticslion wrote:

Ah, thanks.

So, hey, is that unnamed third party McAfee?

Orfamay Quest wrote:

Er,... how the hell should I know?

Hey! You deleted my "/tongue-in-cheek" part! That makes this sound very different! :P

Tacticslion wrote:

That said, it could be, but I find it unlikely. It seems more like the kind of thing he'd be mentioning everywhere he could. But I may just be off about the guy; it's just the impression I get.

Orfamay Quest wrote:

I'm inclined to agree. One of the first things you learn in the "real" security business is to Keep Your Flipping Mouth Shut. The people you do real business with already know who you are (or will soon) and want to make sure not only that you can do the stuff they need, but will also be able to keep your involvement quiet.

McAfee doesn't seem to have learned that lesson.

Coo'.

Orfamay Quest wrote:

Even if I had any guesses as to who this third party might be, I'd get no thanks from anyone except perhaps Gawker if I named them.

Heh. Fair enough. I wasn't actually trying to get anyone to guess, more just make a joke.

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

Your impression is dead on. The guy's been off his nut since he sold McAfee.

I found his claims dubious from the get-go, but, as I'm not in computer tech, so I didn't know for sure how out there such claims were. Certainly not convincing, but I simply was in ignorance. Thanks!

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

For a profile of what McAfee has become, I'd recommend WIRED's article, "John McaFee's Last Stand".

On the current matter, McAfee has admitted that he doesn't know how he'd crack the iPhone, but claims he is sure that he and a team he'd put together could work it out.

[Orfamay Quest]

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

On the current matter, McAfee has admitted that he doesn't know how he'd crack the iPhone, but claims he is sure that he and a team he'd put together could work it out.

Using "social engineering," if I remember correctly. Meaning lying to people until they tell him what he wants to know. In this case, I suspect it would involve a speak with dead spell, which are much more expensive on Earth than on Golarion.

<rolleyes>

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

Orfamay Quest wrote:

I'm inclined to agree. One of the first things you learn in the "real" security business is to Keep Your Flipping Mouth Shut. The people you do real business with already know who you are (or will soon) and want to make sure not only that you can do the stuff they need, but will also be able to keep your involvement quiet.

McAfee doesn't seem to have learned that lesson.

Even if I had any guesses as to who this third party might be, I'd get no thanks from anyone except perhaps Gawker if I named them.

It's becoming apparent that McAffe's interests aren't so much in doing "real security", but in making himself a renewed public spectacle.

[Nutcase Entertainment]

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

For a profile of what McAfee has become, I'd recommend WIRED's article, "John McaFee's Last Stand".

On the current matter, McAfee has admitted that he doesn't know how he'd crack the iPhone, but claims he is sure that he and a team he'd put together could work it out.

To be fair, almost everyone who say they can crack the thing also admited to be theory crafting.

[thejeff]

Nutcase Entertainment wrote:

Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:

For a profile of what McAfee has become, I'd recommend WIRED's article, "John McaFee's Last Stand".

On the current matter, McAfee has admitted that he doesn't know how he'd crack the iPhone, but claims he is sure that he and a team he'd put together could work it out.

To be fair, almost everyone who say they can crack the thing also admited to be theory crafting.

Well, his first boast wasn't even theory crafting.

And frankly, I'm not sure why anyone would have to be theory crafting. It's a trivial situation to duplicate and try to break. Buy an IPhone of the same model and go after it.

I mean if you don't want to commit the resources to do that unless you're being paid, that's fine, but then don't claim a solution.

[GM Rednal]

Apparently, the FBI enlisted the help of Cellebrite, an Israel-based subsidiary of a Japanese company that specializes in computer forensics and retrieving data hidden inside phones (mostly for Intelligence, Military, and Law Enforcement purposes).

[BigNorseWolf]

I would not put it past the FBI to try to panic apple into finding out how the fbi got in so that they find a way in for the FBI

[GM Rednal]

I'd call that one unlikely - hacks that work on older models often don't work on new ones, and they may have already fixed the trick used to get in.

Speaking of, they hired hackers to do it.