Apple could strengthen iCloud security, then throw away the key

iCloud

Apple's rumored efforts to create a unhackable iPhone, warranted or otherwise, are reportedly extending to its cloud service, too.

Investigators with a court order have been able to access data through Apple's iCloud servers. But Financial Times says the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has plans to lock down customer data on iCloud backups with encryption even Apple itself can't break.

The timing of the purported move to further seal away customers' data likely isn't a coincidence. In case you need a refresher, Apple is currently in the midst of a controversial legal dispute with the FBI following the deadly San Bernardino attack.

An iPhone used by one of the attackers is in the hands of the FBI. In an effort to access the information within, the agency has filed a court order seeking to force Apple into creating a "backdoor," so to speak, into iOS.

So far, Apple has refused the order. Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared in an ABC News interview to deliver the heavy-handed statement that doing as the FBI asks would be to essentially build the "software equivalent of cancer." Cook argued that unlocking even one iPhone for the agency's efforts in the investigation would create a tool that could access any iOS device in the future.

The argument that divides Apple and the FBI, as well as the opinion of the public, continues on. But if the rumors are true, your data stored on iCloud data is about to become more secure than ever.

Cameron Faulkner

Cameron is a writer at The Verge, focused on reviews, deals coverage, and news. He wrote for magazines and websites such as The Verge, TechRadar, Practical Photoshop, Polygon, Eater and Al Bawaba.