John McAfee claims he can crack iPhone encryption

SnowTiger

John McAfee (one of my favourite YouTube videos; very colourful language warning) claims he can break iPhone encryption for the FBI if Apple won't.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35611763:

Anti-virus software creator John McAfee has said he will break the encryption on an iPhone that belonged to San Bernardino killer Syed Farook.

Mr McAfee made the offer to the FBI in an article published by Business Insider.

Apple has refused to comply with a court order asking it to unlock the device, dividing opinion over whether the firm should be compelled to do so.

Mr McAfee said he and his team would take on the task "free of charge".

The offer came as Mr McAfee continues his campaign as a US presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party.

"It will take us three weeks," he claimed in his article.
Security expert Graham Cluley told the BBC he was sceptical of Mr McAfee's claims.

"The iPhone is notoriously difficult to hack compared to other devices," he said.

[...]

Mr McAfee believes that it would be possible to retrieve data from the phone by other means - though he did not give many details of how it would be done.

"I would eat my shoe on the Neil Cavuto [television] show if we could not break the encryption on the San Bernardino phone," he added.

ballyblack

looking for a bit of self publicity, running for President USA

Bye the way the McAfee anti-virus that he was once associated with is crap

d123

ballyblack wrote: »

looking for a bit of self publicity, running for President USA

Bye the way the McAfee anti-virus that he was once associated with is crap

I agree with both your points, he's definitely just out for publicity.

System

ballyblack wrote: »

Bye the way the McAfee anti-virus that he was once associated with is crap

That is why the latest paid for version always sat on an open server that was widely known about. Hoping to get people hooked on a 'free' version of a paid for AV due to an apparent server misconfiguration.

sdduk

I wouldn't trust him.
http://www.wired.com/2012/12/ff-john-mcafees-last-stand/
Would you?

SnowTiger

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35914195:

The FBI has managed to unlock the iPhone of the San Bernardino gunman without Apple's help, ending a court case, the US justice department says.

Apple had been resisting a court order issued last month requiring the firm to write new software to allow officials to access Rizwan Farook's phone.

But officials on Monday said that it had been accessed independently and asked for the order to be withdrawn.

It's rumoured that an Israeli company may have been involved in the 'crack'.

Farway

Didn't Edward Snowden say it could be done months ago by outsider if FBI had not wanted to make an example of Apple to prove a point?

DigForVictory

My money's on that it was done months ago (possibly even by Apple or ex-Apple personnel) but the FBI wanted Apple to headine that it couldn't be done...

Either way, more "Apple" is the newsfeeds just as they launch another phone.