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They have access to the OS drive, and found some logfile or metadata on there.

http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/153537p.pdf

Despite Doe’s refusal, f orensic analysts discovered the password to decrypt the Mac Pro Computer , but could not de crypt the external hard drives. [...] The Forensic examination also disclosed that Doe had downloaded thousands of files known by their “hash ” values to be child pornography. 3 The files, however, were not on the Mac Pro, but i nstead had been stored on the encrypted external hard drives. Accordingly, the files themselves could not be accessed.



> forensic analysts discovered the password to decrypt the Mac Pro Computer

A little concerning. Does the FBI have an undisclosed FileVault backdoor?


From the PDF:

> Despite Doe’s refusal, forensic analysts discovered the password to decrypt the Mac Pro Computer, but could not decrypt the external hard drives.

So either the Mac Pro had a weak password or Doe had it written down somewhere. It's rather unlikely that the FBI has a zero-day for FileVault.


I don't think it's unlikely at all, however, it is unlikely they would disclose having it for such a meaningless case.

The value of this case to them isn't decrypting the data -- it's in setting a precedent on forced data decryption, which they can then use for other cases.

Someone quoted this in a post below: "Prosecutors said Rawls has a lot of "chutzpah" to even ask to get out of jail while he appeals the contempt-of-court order to the Supreme Court, which has never decided whether forcing somebody to decrypt hardware amounted to a Fifth Amendment violation.", proving the point.


It's much more likely that he wrote it down somewhere.


Could just be a dictionary attack or similar password guess




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