On Wednesday Trump tweeted: “We help Apple continuously in BUSINESS and many other issues, but they refuse to unlock phones that have used killers, drug dealers and other violent criminals.”
However, the implications go well beyond the fact that Apple simply unlocks the iPhones of the alleged shooter. The real problem is that creating what is known as a “backdoor” for a single iPhone instantly exposes any other iPhone in the world to the risk of an attack. Therefore, although Apple takes advantage of Trump’s tariff exceptions, he is unlikely to change his mind.
We are helping Apple all of the time on TRADE and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements. They will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country, NOW! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2020
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We help Apple continuously in BUSINESS and many other issues, but they refuse to unlock phones that have used killers, drug dealers and other violent criminals. They will have to take a step a1
l front and help our great country, WE MAKE AMERICA RETURN TO BE BIG NOW!
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Unlocking a phone is unlocking them all“data-reactid =” 18 “>Unlocking a phone is unlocking them all
While Apple has refused to unlock the phones used by the defendant in the shooting in Pensacola, Mohammed Alshamrani, the company has said it has given the government access to Alshamrani’s iCloud account and other documentation.
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Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, speaking while participating with U.S. President Donald Trump at a meeting of the American Labor Policy Advisory Board at the White House State Dining Hall in Washington, United States, on May 6 March 2019. REUTERS / Leah Millis?
So why not unlock iPhones? Because each iPhone runs on Apple’s iOS software. And if Apple tried to unlock the phones used by Alshamrani, the company would have to hack iOS on purpose, creating a way to access all the data stored on the devices.
Since the iPhones that Alshamrani used are, more or less, the same ones that you and I have, any ploy that Apple creates to unlock its phones would work just as well on our phones.
“It would be something like giving the police a combination with which they can enter any combination lock that is manufactured in the world,” said Justin Cappos, professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University’s Tandon School of Engineering from New York.
“And why don’t they have it? Because you would have problems as soon as criminals discover how to use it. ”
That’s where the idea of creating a “back door” fails. No method that law enforcement use to access all iPhones or any other device will remain secret for a long time.
“Many people belonging to the security community have expressed serious concerns about the introduction of a back door, since it is very difficult to monitor its use and contain the effects of any leak, in case someone filters the access to the back door , for example, ”explained Petros Efstathopoulos, global head of research at NortonLifeLock Research Group.
In the world of cybersecurity, criminals, hackers and other malicious people constantly investigate every piece of software they can find in search of vulnerabilities they can exploit to access your data or your device.
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Apple’s new iPhone 11 on display during an event to announce new products on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 in Cupertino, California (AP Photo / Tony Avelar)
At the same time, companies like Apple continue to work to strengthen their defenses and correct any potential flaws they find in their software. The iPhone is especially safe, compared to Android, macOS or Windows devices, because Apple strictly controls its software.
But since flesh and blood humans are the ones who create the operating systems we use, it is normal for errors to appear. Then, hackers create viruses and malware that take advantage of those errors to access your computer or other device.
And no matter how much technology companies strive to strengthen the security of their devices and software, they will always be one step behind the bad guys.
Therefore, intentionally introducing a weakness in Apple’s iOS would be to facilitate the work of hackers and allow them to violate the iPhone they want.
“Apple is making a very smart decision by saying it doesn’t want its phones to be piratable,” Cappos said. “We don’t want our phones to be vulnerable. We want to protect someone who blogs about what is happening in Hong Kong. We want to protect all people who use our phone so they have the right to privacy. ”
“There is also the question of how foreign governments could use iPhone access,” Cappos said.
“If you really trust your government, the United States and the person in charge, you may agree that the police have a way of doing that kind of thing. But how do you manage that situation if the Chinese government asks you the same? How do you handle cases where the Iranian government asks you to use that backdoor?
<h3 class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The government has lost the keys in the past“data-reactid =” 78 “>The government has lost the keys in the past
Relying on the ability of the United States government to keep the keys of each iPhone in the world safe is also not a very smart decision if the facts of the past are taken into account.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Take, for example, the Windows EternalBlue exploit of the National Security Agency. The tool, developed by the NSA, was used to gain access and take remote control of Windows computers. “Data-reactid =” 80 “> Take, for example, the Windows EternalBlue exploit of the National Security Agency. The tool, developed by the NSA, was used to gain access and take remote control of Windows computers.
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Jeanette Manfra, former head of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security, talking about the Wannacry virus by announcing that the United States believed that North Korea was behind the cyber attack, during an information session at the White House in Washington, DC, on 19 December 2017. (Image: Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images)
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "EternalBlue was made public in 2017 when a group that he called himself Shadow Brokers stole it from the agency and threw it into the world. From that moment, it was used to create the WannaCry virus and a lot of malwares that continue to wreak havoc around the world. “data-reactid =” 101 “> EternalBlue was made public in 2017 when a group calling itself Shadow Brokers stole it from the agency and launched it into the world. From that moment on, it was used to create the WannaCry virus and a lot of malwares that continue to wreak havoc throughout the world.
It is important to note that EternalBlue was a tool that the NSA developed taking advantage of an unknown vulnerability in Windows. Now imagine what would happen if Apple deliberately created a vulnerability in iOS and you will begin to understand why it could be a dangerous decision.
All hackers would begin to poke around instantly in the operating system to try to find that vulnerability and attack as many iPhones as possible.
“As was demonstrated in many cases in the past, if confidential information is leaked, such as instructions or code that allow access to the backdoor mechanism, everyone who uses that particular telephone brand can be attacked,” Efstathopoulos explained.
“That has obvious legal implications, as well as practical consequences in people’s lives, including their physical safety.”
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "In addition, the government has already shown that it can access to iPhones without Apple's help. After the company rejected a court order to give the Department of Justice a means to unlock the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters in 2016, the FBI announced that he was able to access the phone using a third-party tool. “data-reactid =” 106 “> In addition, the government has already shown that it can access iPhones without Apple’s help. After the company rejected a court order to give to the Department of Justice a means to unlock the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters in 2016, the FBI announced He was able to access the phone using a third-party tool.
Since that time Apple has made significant security improvements in iOS, so it is likely that it has eliminated the attack path used by that tool, but if the government was able to resort to a third party, it is logical that it can do so again.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Daniel Howley“data-reactid =” 108 “>Daniel Howley
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