FBI says it may have found a way to unlock San Bernardino shooter's iPhone on its own

A person holds an iPhone.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

In a motion filed Monday, the Department of Justice asked to delay a hearing scheduled for Tuesday over the FBI's demand that Apple help unlock the encrypted iPhone used by Syed Farook, one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Federal prosecutors said an "outside party" has shown the FBI a potential method for unlocking the iPhone, and the government needs time to figure out if it will work without compromising the phone's data. In a statement, a spokeswoman for the DOJ said the government is "cautiously optimistic" the method will work, eliminating the need for Apple's assistance.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.