High-risk hack could bypass Apple’s stance on FBI request

IOActive has claimed into the ring with the FBI and Apple in their battle over unlocking an iPhone belonging to a terrorist. The security solutions company claims that a risky hack could acquire the password.

A security consultant from the firm, Dr. Andrew Zonenberg, said that although the hack could come with a hefty price tag, it is a case of reality rather than fantasy.

It could put an end to the fight between the FBI and Apple, after CEO of Apple Tim Cook refused an order from a judge to unlock an iPhone belonging to terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook. Along with wife Tashfeen Malik, Farook was responsible for 14 deaths in an attack that took place in California in December, 2015. The two later died in a police shootout.

Although virus scanner McAfee does not have any experience of hacking an encrypted phone, Zonenberg claims that IOActive has previously performed a process known as ‘de-capping’, which sees a security professional carry out a physical attack on a process chip.

Zonenberg said to SCMagazineUK.com in an email that although his company has not attempted the to de-capp an iPhone, it is aware of the process that would be needed.

He added:

“The attack would likely require several months and a few hundred thousand dollars of research to find the portion of the chip to target, followed by maybe a week and a few tens of thousands of dollars to extract data from a specific physical phone.

Fortunately, this situation is not an everyday occurrence. Most companies can fill cyber security jobs with trained professionals who are more than capable of protecting their system against typical threats.