How secure is the iPhone?

When the FBI asked Apple to write software to hack into the data stored on the iPhone 5C used by the suspect who shot dead Syed Rizwan Farook in the San Bernardino terrorist attack that left 14 people dead, the encryption method Apple used here was 256-bit encryption to secure the data. Here’s how it works:

What is 256-bit encryption?

Like a computer, the iPhone stores data in binary bits of 0 and 1. It uses a key, a unique 256-bit number, to encrypt all the data on the phone. Each bit stores a state of 0 or 1. So, 1 bit has 2 possible combinations, 2 bits have 4 possible combinations, 3 bits have 8 possible combinations.

Therefore, 256 bits would generate 2 to the power of 256, which is trillions of possible combinations, very difficult to guess, even for a computer.

When an iPhone leaves the factory production line, Apple does not keep a copy of its key. Without this key, no one, not even Apple, can recover it.

When a user sets a passcode, that passcode allows the unique lock code of that iPhone to rearrange the user's data so that we can read it in the normal way.

Why does the FBI need Apple's help?

The FBI asked Apple to create software that would allow it to bypass two iPhone features designed to keep data secure on the iPhone. First, if a passcode is entered incorrectly a certain number of times, the iPhone will stop accepting further attempts for a certain period of time.

Second, a user can enable their phone to permanently erase the information on it if they want to if they detect repeated unauthorized access to the device. These two security features make it difficult for the FBI to use the “brute force” method - automatically giving out combinations of possibilities to check whether the passcode is correct or not until finding the right answer.

Brute force

If the FBI succeeds in getting Apple to help defeat the iPhone's own security measures, it could then use a program to put all of its combined capabilities against the 256-bit encryption, known as the “brute force” method, to unlock the iPhone.

According to XHTT