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Apple Quietly Introduced iPhone Reboot Code Which is Locking Out Cops (www.404media.co)

submitted 5 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

241 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Apple quietly introduced code into iOS 18.1 which reboots the device if it has not been unlocked for a period of time, reverting it to a state which improves the security of iPhones overall and is making it harder for police to break into the devices, according to multiple iPhone security experts.

On Thursday, 404 Media reported that law enforcement officials were freaking out that iPhones which had been stored for examination were mysteriously rebooting themselves. At the time the cause was unclear, with the officials only able to speculate why they were being locked out of the devices. Now a day later, the potential reason why is coming into view.

“Apple indeed added a feature called ‘inactivity reboot’ in iOS 18.1.,” Dr.-Ing. Jiska Classen, a research group leader at the Hasso Plattner Institute, tweeted after 404 Media published on Thursday along with screenshots that they presented as the relevant pieces of code.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Seized or not, they can not force you to unlock your phone via pin without a warrant. They can only force you to use biometrics.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Right, but this is about them bypassing you entirely.

They don't need your fingerprint or pass code if they can bypass it themselves. This feature protects you when they've seized it lawfully which can be for many reasons.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Or even if they've seized it unlawfully. Or if it's been stolen by a regular thief, a cybercriminal, the mafia, or a cartel.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 days ago

I'm not sure how much it would actually help for a regular thief.

This is about protecting it against more sophisticated attacks. But the rest probably have those means if wanted.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It is their job to find evidences, not my resposibility to provide them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago

I've never said otherwise.

It's their job to find a way to hack into the phone.

This feature makes that even harder.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

Other people answered, but to your point, in some cases THEY CAN compel without a court order.

Biometrics don't conform to certain laws, and it gets even more complicated if you're entering the US through customs. They can practically hold you indefinitely if you don't comply. Whether you have legal representation is sort of an after thought.