Apple's San Bernardino fight is officially over as government confirms working attack

After months of work, the FBI finally has a way into the San Bernardino iPhone. In a court filing today, prosecutors told the court the new method for breaking into the phone is sound, and Apple's assistance is no longer required. "The government has now successfully accessed the data stored on Farook’s iPhone," the filing reads, "and therefore no longer requires assistance from Apple." The filing provides no further details on the nature of the new method. Still, the result effectively finishes the court fight that has consumed Apple since February.

The Department of Justice first announced the existence of the new attack on March 21st, less than 24 hours before the first hearing on the order was scheduled to begin. According to prosecutors, the method was first demonstrated to law enforcement on the 20th and was sufficiently plausible that the bureau could no longer continue its case, which was premised on the claim that only Apple was capable of unlocking the San Bernardino iPhone. The government was scheduled to report on the effectiveness of the exploit on April 5th, but the FBI's researchers appear to have finished early.

"The government has now successfully accessed the data stored on Farook's phone."

The result is an abrupt end to this chapter of the FBI's fight against encryption. We still don't know the exact nature of the government's exploit or how many different iPhones it could be used to unlock, but it's unlikely to grant the broad powers that the proposed GovtOS would have. That raises the possibility of similar court challenges in the future or, more likely, congressional action on encryption of the kind proposed by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Richard Burr.

In a statement, the Department of Justice promised to continue its efforts to gather data from encrypted devices. "It remains a priority for the government to ensure that law enforcement can obtain crucial digital information to protect national security and public safety," the department said in a statement, "either with cooperation from relevant parties or through the court system."

6:12PM ET: Updated with Justice Department statement.

Order to vacate

• SourceApple Court Filing
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