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Senator Dianne Feinstein Claims That the FBI Paid $900,000 to Break Into a Locked iPhone

posted by n1 on Sunday May 07 2017, @03:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the cheap-at-twice-the-price dept.

takyon writes:

Here's an extra story related to FBI Director Comey's questioning on Wednesday. It's a piece of "classified information":

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate committee that oversees the FBI, said publicly this week that the government paid $900,000 to break into the locked iPhone of a gunman in the San Bernardino, California, shootings, even though the FBI considers the figure to be classified information.

The FBI also has protected the identity of the vendor it paid to do the work. Both pieces of information are the subject of a federal lawsuit by The Associated Press and other news organizations that have sued to force the FBI to reveal them.

California's Feinstein cited the amount while questioning FBI Director James Comey at a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing Wednesday.

Related: FBI vs. Apple Encryption Fight Continues
Seems Like Everyone has an Opinion About Apple vs. the FBI
Washington Post: The FBI Paid "Gray Hat(s)", Not Cellebrite, for iPhone Unlock
FBI Can't Say How It Hacked IPhone 5C
Researcher Bypasses iPhone 5c Security With NAND Mirroring

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by anubi on Sunday May 07 2017, @10:36AM (4 children)

    by anubi (2828) on Sunday May 07 2017, @10:36AM (#505796) Journal

    Yup... just like DRM.

    Very expensive and time consuming whack-a-mole that none of us much benefit from, except the vendors of DRM stuff.

    They oughta save all that encryption for things that NEED encryption... like businesses storing personal info and banking credentials.

    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 07 2017, @10:53AM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 07 2017, @10:53AM (#505799)

    I'll be switching from ssh to telnet real soon now.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 07 2017, @12:41PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 07 2017, @12:41PM (#505812)

      I'm switching from a cellphone to 2 soup cans and a very long string.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 07 2017, @01:07PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 07 2017, @01:07PM (#505817)

        I see your string and raise you a laser velocimeter...
          (or just a fine string that I shoot over your string with bow & arrow, connected to my can)

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 07 2017, @05:01PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 07 2017, @05:01PM (#505904)

          I'll see your string and tie the other end to a velociraptor.