New FBI Director: Mobile Encryption Is 'Huge Problem'

Encryption has stopped the FBI from accessing almost 7,000 mobile devices, according to the bureau's new director, Christopher Wray.

SecurityWatch "To put information technology mildly, this is a huge, huge trouble," he reportedly said in a Sunday speech at a police briefing in Philadelphia. "It impacts investigations across the board."

That includes suspected crimes dealing with narcotics, counterterrorism, and child exploitation. Over an 11-month period, the FBI found itself declining to excerpt data from over half of the mobile devices it obtained, Wray added.

In March, Wray'southward predecessor, James Comey, said the FBI had failed to unlock about ane,200 devices from a iii-month menses, despite possessing "classified techniques."

With encryption becoming so prevalent—iOS and Android are now encrypted by default—the FBI has been urging the tech industry to find a solution. That'south sparked debate over whether products should include a government-mandated "backstairs" federal agents tin utilize when investigating a crime.

Critics in Silicon Valley say this is a bad idea. They argue whatsoever backdoor will weaken a device's security, putting consumers at risk of other hacks.

But that hasn't stopped the FBI from pressing the affair. Last year, the agency demanded Apple help unlock an iPhone 5c that was used by i of the attackers in the San Bernardino shooting. The FBI later withdrew the request, later information technology employed a mysterious third party to unlock the phone for a big sum of money. Nevertheless, the agency is still looking for a amend solution to the encryption debate.

On Sunday, Wray suggested he wants to try and gratify both sides. "I get it, there's a balance that needs to be struck between encryption and the importance of giving us the tools we need to go along the public prophylactic," he reportedly said.