Why Apple is working hard to break into its own iPhones

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Using a vast array of technology including lasers are finely tuned sensors, they are trying to find gaps in their security and patch them up before they even arrive in the world.

The actual chip doing the encryption can show signs of what it is doing: while processors might seem like abstract electronics, they throw out all sorts of heats and signals that could be useful to an attacker.

But they are up against highly compensated hackers: in recent years, there has grown up to be an advanced set of companies offering cyber weapons to the highest bidder, primarily for use against people working to better the world: human rights activists, journalists, diplomats.

But recent years have also seen it locked in an escalating battle: Lockdown Mode might have been a breakthrough of which it is proud, but it was only needed because of an unfortunate campaign to break into people’s phones.

It is not the kind of difficulty that comes even with other security work; those stealing passwords or scamming people out of money don’t have lobbyists and government power.

The kind of highly targeted, advanced attacks that Lockdown Mode and other features guard against however are costly and complicated, meaning they will often be done by governments that could cause difficulties for Apple and other technology companies.

The original article contains 2,167 words, the summary contains 219 words. Saved 90%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

Isn’t this just pentesting?

Definitely applauding them on going hard and testing their stuff.

I'm thinking of how Sony and Nintendo had piracy issues that completely ruined their hardware sales. Then again, they can kinda get away with it in the short run by continuing to release quality software.

Apple doesn't have that luxury as they've cemented themselves as making good bundled hardware+software. If any part of that gets crippled, they're fucked.