Thieves have found a way to exploit Apple’s iPhone security feature to lock out victims from their stolen phones. In a recent Wall Street Journal report, iPhone owner Greg Frasca was locked out of his phone since October 2021 after thieves stole his iPhone 14 Pro and used his passcode to change his Apple ID password. The thieves even enabled the recovery key to prevent him from accessing his iPhone remotely. This is not an isolated event, and many others have also been affected by this security exploit.
How it works: Thieves are breaking into stolen iPhones and after stealing the victim’s money, they block out the actual owners from their stolen iPhones. The recovery key feature was introduced by Apple in 2020 as a randomly generated 28 digit key. It is needed to gain control of an Apple ID password. However, if a hacker or thief has the password, they can use this security feature against the victim, leaving them with no method of recovering their account. New WhatsApp Feature: Sender Supremacy over Disappearing Messages
Victim’s ordeal: Greg Frasca, who has been locked out of his iPhone since October 2021, is willing to fly to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino and pay a massive sum of $10,000 to get back control of his iPhone since it contained 8 years of photos of his daughter. This unfortunate event has left him helpless, with no access to his photos or data. Apple Building Mixed-Reality Headset with 3D Interface and Multiple Features
Apple’s response: An Apple spokesperson has said, “We sympathize with people who have had this experience and we take all attacks on our users very seriously, no matter how rare. We work tirelessly every day to protect our users’ accounts and data, and are always investigating additional protections against emerging threats like this one.” Apple is investigating additional protections to counter such emerging threats.
