FBI paid more than US$1.3m to unlock iPhone

Washington

FEDERAL Bureau of Investigation director James Comey said the US agency paid more to get into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters than he will make in the remaining seven years and four months he has in his job.

According to figures from the FBI and the US Office of Management and Budget, Mr Comey's annual salary as at January 2015 was US$183,300. Without a raise or bonus, he will make US$1.34 million over the remainder of his job. That suggests the FBI paid the largest ever publicised fee for a hacking job, easily surpassing the US$1 million paid by US information security company Zerodium to break into phones.