Harry Potter fiction or iPhone weaponry? The 'dormant cyber pathogen' at the heart of Apple vs. FBI - CNET

Why should Apple unlock the much-disputed iPhone at the center of its battle with the FBI? It may hold a "dormant cyber pathogen," according to a court filing from the district attoey for Califoia's San Beardino County.

That certainly sounds scary, but what is a dormant cyber pathogen exactly?

iPhone forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski, who knows a fair bit about computer science and information security, was just as baffled as the rest of us. The phrase doesn't exist in computer science, according to Zdziarski. So, he went in search of answers.

What he found was "what appears to be Harry Potter fiction," Zdziarski reported in a blog post on Thursday. His search led him to the profile of a fan-fiction fan who goes by the name of "Cyber Pathogen" and describes themselves as a Demigod from Gryffindor.

In the court filing, County District Attoey Michael Ramos says the dormant cyber pathogen might be a weapon that could trigger an attack on the San Beardino County computer network.