The FBI probably doesn't know how Israeli hackers got into a coveted iPhone 5c belonging to a San Bernardino, California extremist, and they may never find out.
The agency had been trying to get Apple to help them break into the iPhone used by Syed Farook, one of two attackers who killed 14 people during an attack in December.
Apple refused to help the FBI, and the two were fighting a legal duel over whether the government could compel the company to help hack the phone.
But the FBI then found an Israeli hacking group to do the job.
That group is private, meaning the FBI cannot compel them to submit their hacking technique to the government's Vulnerabilities Equities Process, according to Reuters. That's where government agencies review flaws in technology and determine which of those flaws should be made public.
Apple has also expressed concern over the vulnerability that the Israeli company used to hack the iPhone 5C, saying they'd like to block criminals from exploiting it.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Topics Apple Cybersecurity iPhone
