When the FBI confirmed that he had been able to access the data from the San Bernardino sniper's iPhone 5c, there were few of us who thought they had received help. And so it was: the Director of the Federal Bureau of TelephonesJames Comey has confirmed in an interview with CNN that the tool the agency purchased from third parties to unlock Syed Farook's iPhone 5c cannot be used to bypass the security protections of newer models. To be more exact, does not work from iPhone 5s onwards.
This would mean that the tool they have used works because the iPhone 5c and earlier do not include features like Secure Enclave in its processor, something that is present from the A7 to the most current processors that, as you all know, are the A9 of the iPhone 6s / Plus and the A9X of the iPad Pro. Secure Enclave it keeps sensitive information encrypted and other factors such as the number of times we enter the security code.
The tool the FBI used works on very few iPhones
Tim Cook wants to know how they managed to access the data of the sniper's iPhone 5c but, if we consider the information provided by the CNN, you shouldn't be too worried. According to the FBI comment, iOS 9 would not be such an insecure system. But the question here is: are they telling the truth? If they find a key that opens any door, the smartest thing to do is not to talk about its existence or, in this particular case, to say that they have used it but that it is not valid for new devices.
The FBI reversed its plans the day before their planned trial against Apple. Everything indicates that the US Department of Justice got help from the company Cellebrite Mobile. In any case, that they need to physically have a device is more reassuring than having a back door.