Re:Answers to your questions about Apple and security
by hahainternet on Monday February 22, 2016 @11:27AM
(#11151958)
> Taking the private key from Apple with a warrant, national security letter, subpoena, or other methods is much easier than creating a custom version of iOS.
Clearly it is not, otherwise they would have done this. They did not.
Re:Answers to your questions about Apple and security
by icebraining on Monday February 22, 2016 @11:50AM
(#11152171)
I think it's meant taking the key used to signed that custom version of iOS. That is, if the FBI can force Apple to write the custom version, they can also coerce the key from them to sign their own copies, preventing your suggested blocking mechanism.
This is what I understood, at least, from the parent's post.
It is foolish to assume that the FBI would stop at this special version of iOS, especially given how they have been arguing and fighting to break encryption for over two decades.
edit, on icebraining's interpretation:
That's exactly right - once the difficult part about targeting an individual phone is finished, it's easy to take the iOS signing key and target any device you want.