Why can't the FBI just work directly on the phone hard drive (removed the hard drive from the phone and connect it to another computer)? Why are the going through IOS operating system?
His intentions: good. His success probability: unlikely (unless they have knowledge of how the encryption key is built from the passcode)
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mcafee-ill-decrypt-san-b...
"Mr. Cook, it's John McAfee on line three, again. He says, quote, 'pretty pretty please.'"
My original question still stands
It does seem that if the FBI desoldered the security chip and subpoenaed the KDF algorithm, they could recover the raw encryption key using their own hardware. But perhaps I'm missing a detail.