The U.S. Justice Department has asked to drop the court order that it wanted to use to compel Apple to help unlock an iPhone used by San Bernardino, California, attacker Syed Farook, saying it has gotten data off the device without the company's help
Washington had been seeking Apple's assistance in bypassing security features on the phone, on which the contents are encrypted. Lawyers for the Justice Department asked for a delay in a court hearing last week after saying an unnamed third party had come forward with a possible way to crack the phone without Apple's help.
The third party hasn't been identified.
David Bowdich, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, wouldn't comment on the technical steps taken to get at the phone, but he said Monday night that "highly skilled personnel" had been testing it for almost a week to make sure it wouldn't be wiped clean.
The case became a high-profile battle between Apple and the government after the Justice Department asked for an order that would compel the world's most recognizable tech company to bypass security features on the iPhone so investigators could try repeated passcode entries. The government surprised everyone, Apple included, by asking for a delay last week for a hearing scheduled for March 22.
Apple shares opened Tuesday up 26 cents to $105.45, within a 52-week trading range of $92.00 to $134.54 U.S.
