Another Hack Allows Access to Locked iPhones

A glitch in Apple's iOS 6.1 operating system makes it possible to access an iPhone's sensitive data, including contacts and photos, without entering the correct passcode, or personal identification number (PIN).

The security flaw, the second PIN bypass that security researchers have found this month, takes a bit of tricky button-pushing in a specific order. But once done successfully, it allows an intruder to download the phone's data over USB to a computer that would have otherwise been locked out.

The security hole was disclosed in full detail by Vulnerability Lab CEO Benjamin Mejri on Seclists.org, where he explained how to get around an important security feature that millions of Apple customers rely on every day. The hack involves simply manipulating the button-press sequence for the screenshot and emergency-call functions.

If the exploit is performed successfully, Mejri explained, the device will go into "black screen mode," showing a dark blank screen. Once the device is connected to a computer, the intruder has direct access to the compromised device's hard drive. A video Mejri produced shows the procedure all the way through to success.

TechNewsDaily was able to reproduce the "black screen mode" portion of the hack on an iPhone 5 by following Mejri's instructions but could not access the phone's hard drive once it was connected to a computer.

Earlier this month, a YouTube video surfaced showing a simpler iPhone hack that allowed unauthorized access to a phone's contacts and photos by making an emergency call and pushing the power button twice.

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Apple released an operating system update, iOS 6.1.2, earlier this week but did not address this particular issue, fixing instead bugs related to the calendar app and battery life, despite telling tech blog AllThingsD that a security fix would be coming in a future update.

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

Devices can be hacked in this manner only if an attacker has physical access to the device. So it's best to follow that advice you hear from the train conductor or read on signs in the bus: Keep your valuables close to you at all times.

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