In an update to the San Bernardino phone saga, the FBI may tell the White House that it doesn’t know enough about the tool used to hack the terrorists’ phone to justify launching a government review over whether to share the method with Apple, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
The article goes on to say that if this decision is confirmed, Apple wasn’t likely to be informed of any potential security failings in certain models of iPhones.
FBI Director James Comey reportedly told WSJ that the hacking tool used by the FBI to open Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone cost the U.S. government over $1 million USD.
Comey stated in a speech at Georgetown University today that the FBI is still discussing whether to tell Apple how a third party managed to hack into Farook’s iPhone 5c following the San Bernardino terrorist attacks which killed 14 people.
The White house apparently has a pre-determined process for deciding which technology security flaws should be made public.
According to a report by the Financial Post, Comey’s comments stated that the review process might not apply in this case.
Related reading: FBI keeps Apple in the dark on hacking San-Bernardino shooter’s iPhone
[via]Wall Street Journal[/via]
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