Apple continued their battle for the security of the end user this week at WWDC 2018. They’ve added a bit of a blocker in iOS 12 that should but a crunch in the mix for law enforcement officials and malicious entities trying to break in to the iPhone using brute force – or any sort long-term attack aimed at breaking
Apple continued their battle for the security of the end user this week at WWDC 2018. They’ve added a bit of a blocker in iOS 12 that should but a crunch in the mix for law enforcement officials and malicious entities trying to break in to the iPhone using brute force – or any sort long-term attack aimed at breaking down the front door. In iOS 12, users need to unlock their phone every hour if they want to maintain a USB connection.
A certain sort of everyday iPhone user might not be pleased with the latest change in iOS 12. If they’re connected to their computer via USB, they’ll need to unlock their phone every hour to maintain a data connection. This breaking connection does not affect connections to power supply.
This mode is called USB Restricted Mode, and it’s in play in the latest iOS 12 beta. This mode previously centered on the initial connection, but now it’s extended to once-per-hour. Users can choose to turn this restriction off in settings. This setting is found under Touch ID and Passcode.
Previous versions of iOS allowed a data connection over USB without an iPhone unlock. Not all data, mind you – but enough to break in using such tools as Grayshift’s GrayKey, and methods used by Cellebrite. Speaking with AppleInsider, Point3 Security director Ryan Duff suggested the following. “[The new USB Restricted Mode] pretty much kills GrayKey and Cellebrite.”
“If it actually does what it says and doesn’t let any type of data connection happen until it’s unlocked, then yes. You can’t exploit the device if you can’t communicate with it.”
