The FBI paid professional hackers to crack an iPhone 5c that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters, it has been reported.
The hackers allegedly approached the government agency to report a software flaw in the PIN code system.
They then built a tool which could generate the four-digit passcode Syed Farook used to get into the device, bypassing the security feature that locks the phone after 10 failed attempts, the Washington Post reported.
Sources told the newspaper they were paid a one-time fee for the work.
The FBI paid professional hackers to crack the San Bernardino terrorist's iPhone, it has been reporte
The hackers have not been identified. However, the Post said sources confirmed they were not Israeli, despite reports to the contrary in Israeli newspapers.
According to the Post they were 'gray hat hackers' - people who look for software flaws and sell the information to government agencies for surveillance purposes.
Black hat hackers identify software flaws to exploit for their own use; white hat hackers report software flaws to companies so they can fix them.
The Justice Department said in March it had unlocked the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone with the help of an unidentified third party and dropped its case against Apple Inc.
It ended a high-stakes legal clash but leaving the broader fight over encryption unresolved.
The FBI have insisted the phone could contain vital evidence on the attack that left 14 people dead and 22 injured on December 2.
The researchers specialize in hunting for vulnerabilities in software and then in some cases selling them to the U.S. government, according to the Post.
The challenged for the FBI was getting around the code. After 10 incorrect tries, all of the data on the device is erased as a security precaution.
Now, officials in the bureau will have to decide whether to disclose the software flaw to Apple.
Last week, FBI Director James Cuomo said they had 'purchased a tool' to crack into the phone.
He would not reveal anything more specific, but said the software they used only worked on the iPhone 5c, which has been discontinued by Apple.
Comey added that the technique would not work on the iPhone 5s and the later models iPhone 6 and 6s.
As the technique cannot be used to break into newer models, law enforcement authorities will likely have to lean on Apple to help them access the devices involved in other cases.
On Tuesday, Comey said he was glad the court fight was over as it was 'was creating an emotion around the issue that was not productive.'
Researchers are believed to have created a piece of hardware which could get around the four-digit pin code jihadi Syed Farook (pictured right with his wife Tashfeen Malik as they entered the United States in 2014) used to get into the device
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