The FBI paid $1.3 million to hack into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino terrorists, agency director James Comey revealed Thursday.
During a security conference in London, Comey was asked how much the bureau paid an unidentified third party for the software that cracked Syed Rizwan Farook’s cellphone and finally resolved the very public court battle with Apple.
“A lot, more than I will make in the remainder of this job, which is seven years and four months, for sure,’’ replied Comey, who takes in $180,000 a year, putting the staggering figure at about $1.3 million.
“But it was in my view worth it,” Comey added.
When asked why the agency spent so much money to hack the phone, the FBI emailed a link to The Post describing Comey’s current pay grade.
The FBI has reportedly said that the information extracted from Farook’s phone helped address concerns about whether family and friends assisted him and wife Tashfeen Malik.
In December 2015, the couple massacred 14 people and injured 22 at a holiday party where Farook worked, the San Bernadino Department of Public Health in Redlands.