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The Washington Post reports that the FBI did not require the services of Israeli firm Cellebrite to hack a San Bernardino terrorist's iPhone. Instead, it paid a one-time fee to a group of hackers and security researchers, at least one of whom the paper labels a "gray hat". It's also reported that the U.S. government has not decided whether or not to disclose to Apple the previously unknown vulnerability (or vulnerabilities) used to unlock the iPhone (specifically an iPhone 5C running iOS 9):
The FBI cracked a San Bernardino terrorist's phone with the help of professional hackers who discovered and brought to the bureau at least one previously unknown software flaw, according to people familiar with the matter. The new information was then used to create a piece of hardware that helped the FBI to crack the iPhone's four-digit personal identification number without triggering a security feature that would have erased all the data, the individuals said.
The researchers, who typically keep a low profile, specialize in hunting for vulnerabilities in software and then in some cases selling them to the U.S. government. They were paid a one-time flat fee for the solution.
[...] The bureau in this case did not need the services of the Israeli firm Cellebrite, as some earlier reports had suggested, people familiar with the matter said. The U.S. government now has to weigh whether to disclose the flaws to Apple, a decision that probably will be made by a White House-led group.
FBI Director James Comey told students at Catholic University's Columbus School of Law that "Apple is not a demon," and "I hope people don't perceive the FBI as a demon." What a saint.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 13 2016, @07:39PM
When someone has to assure you that they are not "that thing", then most likely they are exactly that thing. All of their actions point towards bad intent, weakening and breaking the security of everyone.
Once law enforcement views the average citizen as innocent and upstanding, and treat them accordingly, THEN I will stop viewing them as demons out to destroy society. Whether they realize it or not, treating a population as criminals by default is probably one of the fastest ways to fracture a society.
Are you a suspect for one reason or another? Prepare to have your rights violated in every way imagined by Hollywood, the "tough" cops will bring their weight down on you simply out of suspicion, and if you're innocent you won't even get an apology. YMMV per department, but as a general trend that seems to be the case in the US at least.