Among the blizzard of news bits from Apple's WWDC, a much-anticipated feature has returned to the beta for iOS 12: A mode for keeping the FBI and other snoopers out of your phone. The feature has come and gone in the past, but it's looking more real and better than ever this time around. Still, I'll believe it when it's actually live.
Security researchers at a password-recovery firm claimed to have found an encryption feature in the beta of iOS 11.4 that would definitely make your device more secure and might even prevent authorities to use the cracking tools that have cropped up recently. Sadly, it appears the tool will not be included in the final release, as was previously reported - and it may have never been there at all.
A department of the US State Department dedicated to diplomatic security has reportedly procured a $US15,000, Apple TV-sized device its manufacturers advertise as being able to break iPhone encryption in anywhere from two hours to three days.
When the FBI asked Apple to create a backdoor into iOS in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting, Tim Cook and co. basically told the government to piss off. The issue wasn't whether Apple wanted to help with the investigation - it did - but rather one of security. That's because if Apple created special methods of bypassing its own safety measures, the company argued it would be putting every iOS user at risk.
