It tries but fails. Time Machine Backups are are read-only to everyone except the backupd process (which runs as root). The malware doesn't run as admin.

The file encryption key is a hash of the serial number (which is baked into the CPU) and some other psudo-random numbers; the PIN just completes it;

If a "game cracker" can crack the iPhone they would have done so a long time ago. There are plenty of big-money $$$$ security companies that itching to sell that ability to the FBI/NSA/DEA/INTERPOL as well as other international agencies.

iCloud password != phone passcode. That's like changing your email password and expecting your ATM card PIN number to change too.

Like many government agencies, San Bernardino County Social Services is pretty bare-bones when it comes to funding. Their IT dept are probably a few of MCSE jockeys that abhor anything non-Microsoft; those iPhones are already 3rd class devices to their department, hence no need for MDM.

The Phone wasn't tampered with, just the iCloud password. This can be done by logging into iCloud-- it does NOT require the phone... The only problem is that the phone still has the old password, so it will never sync to iCloud again.

iPhones will only execute signed Apple code. You'd have to be really good at modifying firmware without breaking it's signature; basically only Apple can do it.

Even regular guns don't work correctly 100% of the time... plenty of soldiers died on the battlefield clutching a jammed rifle.

Who the hell stores plaintext passwords anymore? You'd think that should be illegal...

the rendering engine is the same (WebKit), but the JavaScript interpreter/JIT is different; Safari uses Nitro; which non-Safari apps can't use.

It's dubious how much that exploit is worth... as Chrome is not preinstalled in any iOS device. Apple can just ban the app it until it gets a security update.

Exactly how does a "real" Republican vote in a way that's in the best interests for all?

Real politics is one of compromise... and I haven't seen a TPR (Tea Party Republican) do that in a long time.

yup, he did a case mod of an existing clock. That's kind of a rudimentary thing that kids do when they're interested in tech... I don't know of many adults with STEM careers didn't do something similar when they were a child.

From TFA: "Mahaffey and Rogers acknowledged that they first had to gain physical access to the Tesla in order to accomplish their hack, requiring a physical connection via Ethernet cable that then allowed them to access the Model S remotely."

In the olden days this was called "hot wiring"...

The point is: all bets are off when one has physical access. Even if they don't "hack" it, they can set it on fire or do anything else.

The Dragon escape thrusters are only for launch failures that happen at the launchpad. The rocket was at Max Q when it exploded, so there's no way it would have deployed.