In a completely unexpected turn of events, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has suspended its efforts to force Apple to unlock an iPhone used by one of the terrorists in the San Bernadino attack.

While tentatively good news given the broader debate about encryption and demands by Government officials for backdoors, the actual reason may even be more disturbing: the FBI claims to have found a way to hack into the iPhone 5c at the center of the case.

According to a court filing from the Department of Justice, “an outside party [has] demonstrated to the FBI a possible method” for unlocking the iPhone, although they noted that “testing is required to determine whether it is a viable method that will not compromise data on the iPhone.”

The filing confirmed that should the work succeed, the FBI will completely drop its case against Apple, which had so far point-blank refused to assist the Bureau, despite a court order saying that they had to.

Protests

While the suspension of the case is a positive one, security activist and civil liberties groups are not backing down, with a protest due to be staged Tuesday outside the court where the hearing was to have taken place still going ahead.

“This case was never about a phone. It was a grab for power,” Fight for the Future Campaign Director Evan Greer said in a statement sent to SiliconANGLE. “The FBI already had the capability to hack this phone using forensic tools, but they thought this case would be a slam dunk––a way for them to set a dangerous precedent that they’ve wanted for years. Instead, it appears they’re running away with their tail between their legs, trying to save face while they go. They knew they were going to lose, both in the court of law and the court of public opinion.”

“The FBI might be running away from their own hearing, but we’re not,” Fight for the Future Chief Technology Officer Jeff Lyon added. “We’ll still be outside the courthouse to make sure those people’s voices are heard, because this fight is far from over. Encryption software protects our hospitals, airports, and water treatment facilities. The government’s continued effort to weaken encryption is not just an attack on our civil liberties–it’s a threat to our national security.”

Groups and companies supporting the campaign include Reddit, Google, Wikimedia, DuckDuckGo, CREDO Mobile, Private Internet Access, Thunderclap, Goldenfrog, the ACLU, Campaign for Liberty, OpenMedia, Access, and the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

The protest will be held at 9 am local time outside the U.S. District Courthouse in Riverside, California.

Image credit: Fight for the Future/ with permission