New code introduced in the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system could make it harder for both police and thieves to unlock your iPhone.
404 Media reported Thursday that law enforcement officials had warned each other that phones kept for forensic examination seemed to be rebooting themselves, something security experts confirmed in a follow-up article. After a reboot, it becomes more difficult to unlock that phone with a password cracking tool.
Apple did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
This reboot appears to occur after an iPhone with iOS 18.1 has not been unlocked for a period of time. iPhones seem to reboot after four days in a locked state, according to Chris Wade, founder of mobile analytics company Corellium.
Matthew Green, a cryptographer and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, described it as a “tremendous advance in security” that “probably won’t inconvenience anyone.” But the police may not agree.
