FBI can't unlock the San Bernardino shooters' encrypted cellphone

FBI director James B. Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that bureau technicians have been unable to unlock encrypted data on a cellphone that belonged to Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the shooters who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, on Dec. 2.

The locked data could help explain why the shooters left a bag with pipe bombs inside the conference room at the Inland Regional Center, whether they planned any additional attacks, or if anyone else knew about their plan beforehand, the Los Angeles Times reports. Comey said that encrypted cellphones and text messaging apps make it difficult for investigators to trace locations or track active plots after they have a suspect's phone. Encryption algorithms scramble the data once a PIN code is set, and many companies say they don't have the capability to unscramble the memory, arguing such capacity would weaken security and privacy, the Times says.

The FBI did not disclose the model of the phone, nor if it belonged to Malik or Farook. The bureau also says there is no evidence that the married couple had any outside help or instructions on how to carry out the attack. Farook became self-radicalized, and the pair pledged allegiance to ISIS the day of the shooting.

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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