If the FBI broke into the phone and Apple realised it. They would create a MASSIVE stink about it.

It'd show the consumer that Apple is willing to keep users data secret even from government officials. This will boost the confidence of the marketing which in theory should result in higher sales for them and their products. Especially against Microsoft's lack of privacy.

It doesn't sound like they are asking Apple to create a backdoor, but just to unlock the phone to access the data for which they have a warrant and court order. Unless there is no way to do that without creating a backdoor?

Apparently they used to comply with such orders so there was already a 'backdoor' until they updated the encryption with iOS 8 at the end of 2014. But I guess Putin has been EV training his hackers a lot these past couple of years or something.

I don't think they should create a vulnerability that can be exploited, but at the same time I've said all along that with the proper authority law enforcement should be able to collect such data like any other information. Maybe those are incompatible under the current model.

And on another bit of hacking

www.ibtimes.co.uk/los-angeles-hackers-demand-3m-ransom-hospital-unlock-vital-files-1543962

Well I know how that works, bitcoins and such but it's just too fiddly for day to day things. It's a niche thing.

d'uh..........

Why do you think people use bitcoins? They gotta buy their stash somehow.

BTW the hospital I posted about paid the ransom. Not 3.6 million but $17,0000 to get their data back.

arstechnica.com/security/2016/02/hospital-pays-17k-for-ransomware-crypto-key/

Did the FBI manage to hack the phone? I thought I heard this on the news that they eventually manged to hack it without Apple.

Yes they did, and they always had the ability to do so.

John McAfee broke it down very nicely in this video: www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/03/30/exp-quest-means-business-richard-quest-john-mcafee.cnn