People gather at a small rally in support of Apple's refusal to help the FBI access the cell phone of a gunman involved in the killings of 14 people in San Bernardino, in Santa Monica, California, United States, February 23, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

(Reuters) - Apple Inc AAPL.O is said to be developing security measures to make it even harder for the government to break into iPhones, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing people close to the company and security experts.

“Apple engineers have already begun developing new security measures that would make it impossible for the government to break into a locked iPhone using methods similar to those now at the center of a court fight in California,” the Times said.