iPhone trick used by FBI to break into terrorist’s handset will soon become public and then get fixed, experts say

When Apple fixes the flaw, it is expected to detail exactly how it works — potentially bringing back a huge argument between the company and the US government

A security guard patrolling in front of an Apple Store (EPA)

The secret trick used to break into a terrorist’s phone will soon be exposed to the public, according to experts.

The vulnerability used by the FBI to break into a phone used by one of the San Bernardino shooter is unlikely to stay secret for long, according to experts and those working at Apple. The company is working to find the flaw and fix it — at which point it will reveal it to the public and make the FBI’s secret trick well-known, according to reports.

When the company does so, it may re-open a passionate and public dispute between Apple and the US government. That argument revolved around Apple’s belief that helping to unlock one phone would mean weakening the security on them all, and so it is unlikely to allow any secret door into the phone to remain open.

If Apple can’t find the weakness itself, then it will probably be revealed through the court cases that are set to follow the revelation that the FBI managed to get into the phone. During those cases, defence lawyers will be able to cross-examine the experts that helped the US government get into the phone — and that is likely to reveal enough about the trick that Apple can patch it up, an Apple employee told Reuters.

Apple also hopes that it might become clear over time, even if the FBI doesn’t end up disclosing it, the report said.

The FBI has already said that it will share the tool with other law enforcement agencies “consistent with our legal and policy constraints”.