Apple rehires security expert to keep its encryption strong
Reuters says Apple has rehired security expert Jon Callas, part of a continued overhaul of its security team. Callas originally worked for Apple both in the 90s as well as more recently, between 2009 and 2011, where he worked on Mac security. Apple’s device encryption has become a bigger issue since it refused to unlock an iPhone used by the San Bernardino gunmen earlier this year. (The FBI eventually unlocked the device with some third-party assistance.)
Callas had also co-founded several secure comms companies, including including PGP Corp, Silent Circle and Blackphone. A Senate committee is still debating legislation that could compel companies to help law enforcement agencies bypass their own encryption — something that Apple says would make its products more vulnerable to hacking.
Apple’s work on security doesn’t stop with this hire. As the WSJ reported a few months back, the company is also working on improving encryption in iCloud. It also recently grabbed Frederic Jacobs, the developer behind Signal, a secure chat app used by Edward Snowden, as an intern.
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