FBI looking to unlock new iPhone linked to terrorism


Thursday, the FBI held a press conference regarding Dahir Adan, the individual who stabbed 20 people recently in Minnesota. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Adan died in a confrontation with police.

In the press conference, the FBI revealed that they have possession of Adan's iPhone and that it is locked with a passcode. While this isn't only the second time the FBI has been investigating a suspect with a locked iPhone, it is the second time this year a locked iPhone belonged to a dead terror suspect.

Wired:

FBI Agent Thornton told Thursday's press conference that the bureau had "analyzed more than 780 gigabytes of data from multiple computers and other electronic devices" in its investigation of Adan. "We are conducting an extensive review of his social media and other online activity," he said. "We continue to review his electronic media and digital footprint."

But as with Farook, accessing one of the ISIS-linked attacker's primary electronic devices may again depend on what version of Apple's hardware and software he ran. If Adan carried an iPhone he bought in the last two years, and the FBI is determined to get inside it, the US government may find itself again at odds with the world's biggest tech company.

It will be interesting to see if the FBI again tries to use the court system to compel Apple to hack its technology.