Apple Looking to Harden Security on iPhones

Apple engineers are developing new security measures that would prevent the government from using the same password-breaking approach at the center of its current court fight with the Department of Justice to unlock future iPhones, the New York Times reports.

The company is reportedly upgrading the security on its devices in a way that would erect new technical hurdles for law enforcement seeking to extract data from other Apple devices, according to the publication.

Federal investigators are seeking to exploit a trouble-shooting feature of the iPhone that allows for system software to be updated without a user entering the device’s password. The FBI is asking Apple to exploit this feature to write new software that would effectively disable password protection and unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Asked why Apple would allow firmware updates without requiring the user to enter a password, one Apple executive told a group of reporters last week that the company was working to improve the security in its devices. A source told the New York Times that Apple had been working on hardening security features before last week’s court order stemming from the Dec. 2 terrorist attack.

An Apple spokesperson declined comment.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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