By now, we’re all aware of the US court order for Apple to create a tool (which would essentially work as a Master Key) that allows the FBI to access information on the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone 5c. Apple has refused, and the company plans to make a formal appeal with top free speech lawyers in the next couple days. With the company’s refusal has come loads of support from other major tech companies, rights groups, and iPhone users while garnering criticism from Donald Trump. Meanwhile, cybersecurity legend John McAfee has said he and his team will hack the shooter’s iPhone for free, and it will only take them three weeks to do it.
Previously the FBI released a letter promising this was a single instance in which a terrorist’s iPhone would be unlocked. Even Bill Gates came out in support of Apple complying with the court order, believing himself that this would be a one-time deal. Yet today it came out that the Federal Attorney wants Apple to unlock more iPhones, not pertaining to terrorism, if the company is forced to create the tool it’s refusing to. So clearly, the gig is up. Even more so now that John McAfee has said he and his team will hack into the shooter’s iPhone for free and in three weeks time.
In his op-ed on TechCrunch, John McAfee writes,
“With all due respect to Tim Cook and Apple, I work with a team of the best hackers on the planet. These hackers attend Defcon in Las Vegas, and they are legends in their local hacking groups, such as HackMiami. They are all prodigies, with talents that defy normal human comprehension. About 75% are social engineers. The remainder are hardcore coders. I would eat my shoe on the Neil Cavuto show if we could not break the encryption on the San Bernardino phone. This is a pure and simple fact…
“So here is my offer to the FBI. I will, free of charge, decrypt the information on the San Bernardino phone, with my team. We will primarily use social engineering, and it will take us three weeks. If you accept my offer, then you will not need to ask Apple to place a back door in its product, which will be the beginning of the end of America.”
