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.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.