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from the all-your-data-are-belong-to-us dept.
Two years ago, Apple dropped a plan that would have made it impossible for the company to decrypt iPhone and iPad backups for law enforcement, according to a Reuters report today. Reuters wrote that "six sources familiar with the matter" confirmed that Apple dropped the end-to-end encryption plan for iCloud Backup "after the FBI complained that the move would harm investigations."
[...] "Under that plan, primarily designed to thwart hackers, Apple would no longer have a key to unlock the encrypted data, meaning it would not be able to turn material over to authorities in a readable form even under court order," the report continued.
[...] Apple had "10 or so experts" working on the end-to-end encryption plan, "variously code-named Plesio and KeyDrop," but told them to stop work on the project once the decision was made, according to Reuters' sources.
[...] Messages is a special case. Messages itself has end-to-end encryption, but iCloud Backup "includes a copy of the key protecting your Messages." If you want full protection for Messages, you'd want to disable iCloud Backup and back your iOS devices up to iTunes on your computer instead.
iCloud Backup's inclusion of a copy of the Messages key "ensures you can recover your Messages if you lose access to iCloud Keychain and your trusted devices," Apple explains. "When you turn off iCloud Backup, a new key is generated on your device to protect future messages and isn't stored by Apple."
[...] President Trump blasted Apple on Twitter last week, writing that Apple "refuse[s] to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements."
Apple countered that it gave the FBI "gigabytes of information" including "iCloud backups, account information and transactional data for multiple accounts."
Apple may be unable to unlock the phones since it hasn't granted the government's request for a backdoor—and continues to argue that encryption backdoors would harm security for all users.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/01/apple-reportedly-nixed-plan-for-end-to-end-encryption-in
(Score: 2) by Rich on Wednesday January 22 2020, @02:46PM (3 children)
What a waste. That's a lost great opportunity for some Louisrossman-fu style SMD rework training :)
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday January 22 2020, @03:54PM (2 children)
This is my concern - iPads are one design, so anybody who has practiced on them could pick mine out of the recycling stream and possibly pull the flash chip and start ordering stuff through our iTunes account, because: pad dies before had a chance to wipe it - if wiping even works.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Wednesday January 22 2020, @06:29PM (1 child)
Well there's your problem! Used electronics are meant to go in that bottom drawer with the 20-year-old laptops that stopped booting a decade ago. Your grandkids will be interested someday, and might even say "neat" when they see the old designs.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday January 22 2020, @06:48PM
My drawers aren't that deep... 4 old phones + 6 old tablets + 4 old laptops + 2 old NUCs are my limit, at some point they need to leave the home.
🌻🌻 [google.com]