Having reportedly gained access to the iPhone 5c at the center of the San Bernardino shooting case, the FBI has agreed to use its newfound hacking abilities to aid an Arkansas prosecutor unlock an iPhone and iPod belonging to two teenagers who stand accused of murdering a couple.
According to Faulkner County Prosecuting Attorney Cody Hiland, the FBI agreed to the request from his office and the Conway Police Department on Wednesday afternoon. The trial into the case had been postponed earlier this week after the judge agreed that the prosecutors could ask the Feds for help.
18-year-old Hunter Drexler’s trial will now take place on June 27. Drexler and 15-year-old Justin Staton are accused of killing Robert and Patricia Cogdell at their home in Conway, near Little Rock. Both have pleaded “not guilty” to charges including capital murder and aggravated robbery.
Drexler’s attorney, Patrick Benca, has confirmed that he was notified by the FBI that it has agreed to help unlock his client’s iPhone, although he says he is, “not concerned about anything on that phone.” Justin Staton’s iPod touch was also handed over as part of the investigation, since it had reportedly been used to communicate about the alleged homicide plan.
As I wrote yesterday, the Justice Department has been waging a war on smartphone encryption across the United States. While public opinion remains split on whether this is a good thing or not, the FBI’s willingness to help unlock iPhones not involved in the San Bernardino case does once again confirm that this was always about setting a precedent rather than simply unlocking one phone.
Source: Associated Press
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
15 responses to “FBI will help unlock another iPhone in Arkansas murder trial”
This was never about the san bernadino iPhone. It’s always been about being able to hack anyone’s iPhone. Just like it was never about the water fountain, and it was never about using the same bathroom. Give them one phone and they’ll ask for another.
Give them an inch, they swim all over
-Sebastian, The Little Mermaid
I’m sure iOS 10 will be all about encryption now! This will be a huge boost fir third-party encryption apps as well.
The only reason the FBI is helping with this case is to stick it to Apple.
The FBI is just saying to Apple, HA HA try and stop us.
I have said this before. Apple should have cooperated with the FBI. This would have been the lesser of two evils. At least if they would have cooperated, Apple would retain some control over the exploit. Now Apple does not even know how the exploit works, and the FBI wont’t tell them. They used a foreign company to hack the phone and who knows who else this foreign company is selling the exploit to. Now the FBI is helping to hack into other phones just to get back at Apple and damage their reputation for security. Now the world is looking at Apple and saying. How secure can your phone be if the FBI can hack in at will.
It’s still pretty danged secure. If you have to go through all of this to get access to a phone, then I feel pretty good.
I would suggest you read up a bit more before you post things such as this. You don’t seem to have an understanding about the state of Apple or iPhone security today. The FBI is going after devices that are not at the same level of hardware security as phones and iPads sold today.
The FBI is not going after the older devices, they are going after the criminals and terrorists, it just so happens they are using less secure older devices whether it be android, windows, or ios. I would suggest you read up on what the FBI’s mission is, which is National Security not going after devices. That is just a means to an end. Are you suggesting that all criminals and terrorists upgrade to the latest versions?
The mission of the FBI is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners; and to perform these responsibilities in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the public and is faithful to the Constitution of the United States.
You sir are clearly delusional if you truly believe that the sole mission of the FBI is national security. The fact of the matter is that data is valuable, hence why companies like Google profit so much from monetizing on it. The FBI’s goal from the start in the San Bernardino case was to set a precedent, which would have made it possible for them to unlock future devices. Case and point today when they are going around unlocking devices for murder cases, etc. They claimed that this would be a “one time thing” and this was proven wrong pretty quickly.The FBI director looks pretty hypocritical right about now.
I was asked what the FBI’s mission statement was and I posted it from the government web site.
Tony, if you have a problem with the FBI, then take it up with the FBI. I personally will not side with the criminals and terrorists, but to each his own.
Joe, which is it? Is the FBI an immature childish organization looking to “stick it to Apple” or are they a serious and deliberate organization as defined by their mission? You started this rant by denigrating the fine men and women of the FBI claiming they are wasting tax dollars and investigative resources to ‘get back at Apple” rather than fight and prevent crime. The FBI deserves more respect.
Jeffsters, as I said in my first post. Apple should have cooperated with the FBI. This would have been the lesser of two evils. Apple would at least have been able to maintain some control over the exploit They have no control now and the exploit is still active until Apple can find out what it is. You seem to think that the FBI is going after people’s devices. They are going after criminals and terrorist. This is just a means to an end for them. This particular case is about the murder of two 65 year old seniors, Robert and Patricia Cogdell, who should have been enjoying their retirement.
You ask “Which is it?”. I choose to side with Robert and Patricia Cogdell and hope they get justice, even if it means the FBI has to “stick it to Apple” to catch the murderer.
Like I said in my previous post, I personally will not side with the criminals and terrorists, but to each his own.
They did cooperate they gave everything they had offered to help further, the FBI screwed up the passwords, and when asked Apple refused to create a new OS for the FBI. You can disagree with that, I have no issue with that, but many more agree. To then however imply or represent Apple as not doing their part or protecting criminals I think is inaccurate and unfair. Let’s not forget Microsoft, Google, Facebook,Twitter, filed briefs in support of Apple or as the late Justice Scalia wrote “there are times when privacy for all means some criminals go free, it’s the price we pay in a free society”.
Jeffsters, I think we can have a free society as well as not letting criminals and terrorists go free.
If you feel that the murderer of Robert and Patricia Cogdell should go free in order to preserve his privacy, that is your choice. Like I said in my previous post, I personally will not side with the criminals and terrorists, but to each his own.
Missing from most of these articles, but very important, is these are older devices lacking in the the more advanced security hardware such as the “Secure Enclave” found in those devices with Touch ID. If you have one of these devices, you set “Erase Data” to “On” and use a Custom Alphanumeric passcode, as of now, you’re pretty secure. Older phones not so much.
“Just this one Phone”!