Couple of months ago US Department of Justice (DOJ), filed a case in New York, requesting Apple to unlock an iPhone belonging to a suspect in a drug case. However, the court in New York ruled in Apple’s favor, but the DOJ wanted the ruling overturned.
Now, according to latest reports, they have changed their mind and withdrawn their request to have Apple unlock the iPhone. This is according to a recently obtained motion that revealed that the DOJ got the passcode to the phone in which they then managed to proceed to unlock it themselves.
Yesterday evening, an individual provided the passcode to the iPhone at issue in this case. Late last night, the government used that passcode by hand and gained access to the iPhone. Accordingly, the government no longer needs Apple’s assistance to unlock the iPhone, and withdraws its application.
DOJ has not revealed how they got hold of the passcode or who the individual is, as the drug dealer for whom the iPhone belonged to has claimed to forget the passcode to the iPhone. It is possible that he “remembered” the passcode and turned it into police or they might have hired a hacker as if FBI did on San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone 5c. Whatever the case, the DOJ has withdrawn its request and it no longer needs Apple’s help.
