Protecting your iPhone from criminals locking you out
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A complicated but worrying method of taking control of an iPhone and permanently locking it out is on the rise.
According to the Wall Street Journal, iPhone thieves leverage the recovery key, preventing owners from accessing their images, texts, data, and more. Some victims informed the publication that criminals emptied their bank accounts using financial applications.
Note that this form of takeover is complex. A criminal must see an iPhone user input the device’s passcode, such as by looking over their shoulder at a bar or sporting event, or manipulate the device’s owner to share it. It’s all before they steal the device.
A thief might then use the passcode to modify the device’s Apple ID, disable “Find my iPhone” to hide their position and reset the recovery key, a complex 28-digit code meant to safeguard owners from cyber hackers.
Apple requires this key to reset or recover access to an Apple ID to increase security, but if a thief changes it, the original owner will be locked out.
“We sympathise with people who have had this experience, and we take all attacks on our users very seriously, no matter how rare,” an Apple spokeswoman told CNN. We work tirelessly daily to protect our users’ accounts and data and constantly study new defences against emerging dangers like this.”
Apple says, “You’re responsible for maintaining access to your trusted devices and recovery key” on its website. You could lose your account permanently if you lose both items.”
Forrester Research VP and lead analyst Jeff Pollard suggested better customer service and “ways for Apple users to authenticate so they can reset these settings.”
However, there are a few ways users can prevent this from happening.
Guard the passcode
The passcode must be protected first.
An Apple spokeswoman told CNN that Face ID or Touch ID can unlock phones in public to avoid revealing passcodes.
Using a lengthier, alphanumeric passcode makes it more challenging for unscrupulous actors to guess. Device owners should update the passcode immediately if they think someone saw the passcode.
Screen Time options
An internet hack not supported by Apple is another option. The Screen Time feature on an iPhone lets parents restrict how youngsters can use the device. Users can use a secondary password to update an Apple ID.
Thefts would be asked for that backup password before altering an Apple ID password with this enabled.
Regularly back up phone
Finally, backing up an iPhone via iCloud or iTunes periodically protects data in the event of theft. Users may save sensitive files and photographs on Google Photographs, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Photos, or Dropbox.
This won’t prevent a bad actor from accessing the gadget but should reduce the fallout.
