Another day, another twist in the infamous Apple vs. FBI spat over the iPhone belonging to one of the terrorists killed in last year’s San Bernardino attacks.
As it turns out, Cellebrite, the company reportedly assisting the US government to bypass the iPhone’s encryption system might also be working for Apple, PhoneArena reports.
According to reports available in the public domain, the FBI has paid Cellebrite $15,278 to hack into the iPhone used by Syed Farook, the San Bernardino terrorist who along with his wife killed 14 people and gravely injured 22 others.
The FBI and the Justice Department had to turn to the Israel-based company after Apple repeatedly denied a backdoor entry inside its encryption system citing the company’s moral and ethical responsibility towards consumers’ privacy and digital security.
If these reports are indeed true, this new twist in the tale could bring a whole new dimension to the ongoing Apple vs. FBI dispute.
The PhoneArena report stated that Cellebrite machine is available inside Apple’s retail stores.
“There, they are employed by reps who use it to transfer contact lists and other content from an old phone to a just purchased iPhone. What is interesting is that Cellebrite’s website points out that its machines work with iPhones running iOS 8, but doesn’t mention iOS 9,” it reads.
Worth noting, the phone used by the terrorist was an iPhone 5c which runs on iOS 9.
Apple is yet to make a comment on these new speculations that Cellebrite has any association with the company.
(Also read: Bad News Awaits Apple If FBI Can Hack Into San Bernardino iPhone)