Apple’s refusal to crack open the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone cost the Federal Bureau of Investigation more than $1.3 million, the director revealed.
At the Aspen Security Forum in London on Thursday, FBI Director James Comey revealed the massive price after a moderator asked how much the FBI paid an undentified hacker group to crack the iPhone.
FBI AGREES TO CRACK ACCUSED ARKANSAS TEEN KILLERS' IPHONE, IPOD DAYS AFTER GETTING INTO SAN BERNARDINO GUNMAN'S PHONE
The FBI paid more than $1.3 million to break into the San Bernardino terrorist's iPhone, the most expensive price for a hack ever publicized.
“A lot. More than I will make in the remainder of this job, which is seven years and four months, for sure,” the FBI director said. “But it was in my view, worth it.”
An FBI spokesperson confirmed to the Daily News that Comey earned $181,500 a year, meaning that the bureau paid more than $1.3 million for the expensive hack.
FBI Director James Comey said the hefty cost to unlock the iPhone was worth it. (JIM LO SCALZO/EPA)
At that price, it would be the largest ever publicized amount ever paid for a hack — surprassing a $1 million payout Zerodium received after the group found a vulnerability in iOS.
Despite the hefty pricetag behind the hack, the iPhone’s information didn’t reveal any links to ISIS or secret communications the FBI was searching for, CNN reported.
Tashfeen Malik, left, and Syed Farook, unleashed a deadly terrorist attack at the San Bernardino County's health department in December and left a locked iPhone behind, launching the FBI's investigation. (AP)
The agency had been locked in a legal battle with Apple after the tech giant refused to create a backdoor hack into the iPhone for the FBI.
FBI HAS GOTTEN INTO IPHONE USED BY SAN BERNARDINO SHOOTER, NO LONGER NEEDS APPLE'S HELP
Apple refused to unlock the iPhone for the FBI, forcing the agency to find a third party group that would hack it for more than $1.3 million.
After weeks of arguments back-and-forth over privacy and safety concerns, the FBI dropped the case on March 28, claiming it had found a third-party hacker to get into the iPhone.
The smartphone was discovered in Syed Farook’s Lexus and had been locked shut since the Dec. 2 terror attack at the Inland Regional Center.
Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said the FBI never should have requested for the tech giant to unlock the iPhone in the first place.
The FBI has declined to comment on what hacker group received the payout worth more than $1.3 million.