FBI cracks terrorist's iPhone without Apple's help

The U.S. Department of Justice said the Federal Bureau of Investigation has cracked the iPhone used by one of the gunmen in the San Bernardino terrorist shooting.

Investigators accessed the mobile phone -- iPhone 5C running a version of iOS 9 software -- used by Syed Farook with the help of an unnamed third party, according to CNN, Monday. The U.S. officials didn’t reveal details about what was found on the phone.

The report cited the department spokeswoman Melanie Newman as saying the FBI “has successfully retrieved the data stored on the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone and therefore no longer requires the assistance from Apple required by this Court Order.”

The department dropped the case against Apple as it no longer needs the company's help.

Farook was one of two shooters in the shooting in December 2015 that killed 14 people. The U.S. government has been trying to force Apple to help bypass the phone’s security features. But the tech giant refused to help, saying it would compromise the security of all iPhone users.

The two sides were due in court last week. But the judge granted a request from the department to postpone the hearing when an unidentified party suggested the FBI an alternative method for hacking into the phone.

The department’s successful bid to hack into the phone has suggested Apple’s encryption technology is “not as advanced as once thought,” the report said.