[Cryptography] The FBI doesn't need Apple's help to unlock the phone

[John Levine]

In a recent posting to the Risks digest, Rebecca Mercuri is baffled
why the FBI is demanding Apple write unlock software when they can do
it themselves.  The Secure Enclave that makes a device so secure was
introduced on the A7 processor, but the iphone 5 series uses the older
A6 for which there are commercial data extraction services.  

So they just keep cloning the phone and trying 10 PINs until it works.
This could take a while but as she notes, probably less time than it
will take to appeal their case up to the Supreme Court.

http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/m/risks/latest#subj1.1

R's,
John