After the Department of Justice announced that they will be suspending the court case with Apple, many have wondered who exactly is the third party that would be assisting the FBI in cracking the iPhone. According to news reports, an Israeli mobile forensics firm named Cellebrite will be having a go at the iPhone.
First reported by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the FBI has apparently contracted Cellebrite to break into the iPhone 5c of the San Bernandino shooter. Should Cellebrite be able to crack the iPhone, that would mean that the FBI would no longer require the assistance of Apple and the case would be closed.
Whether or not Cellebrite would be able to crack the iPhone is anybody’s guess, but seeing as the firm specializes in phone-oriented forensic software, it is entirely possible that they would have the means to work around Apple’s encryption. That said, they have roughly two weeks to work out a way to crack the iPhone as the FBI needs to submit a report by the 5th of April.
Source: Ars Technica, Reuters
