FBI won't tell Apple how it got into the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone

The FBI on Wednesday opted not to share its method for hacking into the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters with Apple.

After a legal battle that dragged on for more than six weeks, the FBI was able to bypass the encryption on the iPhone 5C used by Syed Farook, thanks to a still unnamed outside party.

The question was then: Would the FBI tell Apple how it got into the killer's phone? When Mashable spoke to legal experts last month, the consensus was that no, the government would not reveal the method it used to access the phone.

But as recently as Tuesday, the FBI was discussing whether it would reveal the method to Apple under what is known as the Vulnerability Equities Process (VEP). The VEP was created in 2014 to basically determine whether law enforcement or government agencies need to turn over software vulnerabilities to manufacturers so that they can patch those holes to protect their customers from hackers.

In a statement, FBI Executive Assistant Director for Science and Technology Amy Hess said that “the FBI assesses that it cannot submit the method to the VEP.”

“The FBI purchased the method from an outside party so that we could unlock the San Bernardino device. We did not, however, purchase the rights to technical details about how the method functions, or the nature and extent of any vulnerability upon which the method may rely in order to operate.”

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In past conversations, Apple has expressed confidence that its code review process will help it patch the method used to bypass Farook's iPhone. Moreover, its broader commitment to pushing software updates to all of its users means that if it is able to patch the vulnerability, there is a good chance users will actually be protected from that method.

Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik carried out a brutal terrorist attack in December at an office holiday party hosted by Farook's employer. They killed 14 people. Authorities had said unlocking Farook's work-issued iPhone may reveal unknown details about the attack, but the FBI has not revealed, what, if anything, the hack drummed up.

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