Apple's fight with the FBI could trigger a password arms race<article>
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Apple’s dispute with the FBI over providing access to a mass shooter's smartphone could lead device makers to require stronger passwords in future.</p><p>
Much of the debate around the issue has suggested that the FBI is asking Apple to break its encryption in order to gain access to the contents of a smartphone used by one of the perpetrators of the December shootings in San Bernardino.</p><p>
But the case is as much about passwords as it is about encryption. The FBI wants Apple to override a mechanism on the iPhone that could erase the data on the device after 10 failed password attempts. Using a computer program, investigators can try out thousands of passwords until they hit on the one that works, in what’s known as a brute force attack.</p><p class="jumpTag"><a href="/article/3035527/security/apples-fight-with-the-fbi-could-trigger-a-password-arms-race.html#jump">To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here[/url]</p></section></article>
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Apple's fight with the FBI could trigger a password arms race
