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[return to "FBI couldn't get into WaPo reporter's iPhone because Lockdown Mode enabled"]
1. 827a+tI[view] [source] 2026-02-04 17:48:45
>>robin_+(OP)
Is there an implication here that they could get into an iPhone with lower security settings enabled? There's Advanced Data Protection, which E2EEs more of your data in iCloud. There's the FaceID unlock state, which US law enforcement can compel you to unlock; but penta-click the power button and you go into PIN unlock state, which they cannot compel you to unlock.

My understanding of Lockdown Mode was that it babyifies the device to reduce the attack surface against unknown zero-days. Does the government saying that Lockdown Mode barred them from entering imply that they've got an unknown zero-day that would work in the PIN-unlock state, but not Lockdown Mode?

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2. kingno+mb1[view] [source] 2026-02-04 19:57:45
>>827a+tI
It's relatively well know that the NSO Group / Pegasus is what governments use to access locked phones.
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3. 827a+ew1[view] [source] 2026-02-04 21:30:34
>>kingno+mb1
This was known, in the past, but if its relying on zero-days Apple & Google are, adversarially, attempting to keep up with and patch, my assumption would not be that pegasus is, at any time, always able to breach a fully-updated iPhone. Rather, its a situation where maybe there are periods of a few months at a time where they have a working exploit, until Apple discovers it and patches it, repeat indefinitely.
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4. direwo+AA1[view] [source] 2026-02-04 21:53:32
>>827a+ew1
How does Apple discover their exploits? I'm sure they keep some around for extremely high value targets.
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