[Noisebridge-discuss] FBI, stumped by pimp's Android pattern lock, serves warrant on Google

[Jake]

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/03/fbi-stumped-by-pimps-androids-pattern-lock-serves-warrant-on-google.ars

The FBI, which didn't have the right to search the phone without a 
warrant, obtained one on February 13, 2012. They took the phone from the 
parole agent and sent it off to an FBI Regional Computer Forensics Lab in 
Southern California. There, technicians attempted to gain access to the 
contents of the memory of the cellular telephone in question, but were 
unable to do so, said the FBI. They were defeated by, of all things, 
Android's pattern lock [not always notable for its high security].

Technicians apparently mis-entered the pattern enough times to lock the 
phone, which could only be unlocked using the phone owner's Google account 
credentials. But Dears wasn't cooperating, and the FBI didn't have his 
credentials. So it was back to a judge with a new warrant application, 
filed on March 9, 2012. That application, which was apparently supposed to 
be sealed, was instead made public and was located today by security 
researcher Chris Soghoian.