by iPhone: Scammers block users from their mobiles. What you need to do immediately to protect yourself and your iPhone. All the details on xristika.gr.
Many cell phone owners think about what they will do if they are stolen and their device is taken from them.
In the last few hours, in fact, a complex but disturbing method has been circulating on social networks and websites – with which thieves “block” iPhone users, preventing them from accessing the device and to their files. This is the “recovery key”.
In particular, some iPhone thieves take advantage of this security setting, which makes it nearly impossible for owners to access their photos, messages, data and other information, according to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal.
Some victims also said their bank accounts were emptied after thieves gained access to their financial apps.
It should be noted, however, that the above is difficult to implement. It takes a criminal to actually watch an iPhone user type in the device’s passcode — say, looking over their shoulder at a bar or sporting event — or to manipulate the owner of the device. device to share their passcode. And all this before they actually stole the device.
Beyond that, however, a thief could use the password to change the device’s Apple ID, turn off Find My iPhone so it can’t be located, and then reset the recovery key, a code 28-digit complex intended to protect its owners from online. the Pirates.
Apple needs this key to reset or regain access to an Apple ID in an effort to increase user security, but if a thief changes it, the real owner will not have the new code and will be locked out out of account.
“We sympathize with those who have had this experience and take all attacks on our users, no matter how rare, very seriously,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
“We work tirelessly every day to protect our users’ accounts and data, and we’re always looking for additional protections against new threats like this,” he adds.
On its website, Apple warns that “you are responsible for maintaining access to your trusted devices and your recovery key. If you lose both of these pieces of information, you risk being permanently banned from your account.”
Jeff Pollard, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, said the company should provide more customer support options and “ways to authenticate Apple users so they can reset those settings.”
For now, however, there are a number of steps users can take to potentially protect themselves from what happens to them.
iPhone: Password Protection
The first step is password protection.
An Apple spokesperson told CNN that users can use Face ID or Touch ID when unlocking their phone in public to avoid revealing their password to anyone who might be watching.
Users can also set a longer alphanumeric password that is harder for criminals to understand.
Device owners should also change their password immediately if they think someone else has seen it.
iPhone: Screen Time Settings
Another step one might consider is a… hack that isn’t necessarily supported by Apple, but is floating around the internet.
In an iPhone’s Screen Time setting, which allows guardians to set restrictions on how children can use the device, it is possible to set a secondary passcode that will be required for each user before they can successfully change an Apple ID.
By enabling this feature, a thief will be prompted to enter this second password before changing an Apple ID password.
iPhone: backup at regular intervals
Finally, users can protect themselves by regularly backing up their iPhone – via iCloud or iTunes – so that they can recover the data if the iPhone is stolen.
At the same time, users may consider storing important photos or other sensitive files and data in another cloud service, such as Google Photos, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Photos, or Dropbox.
It won’t prevent an attacker from gaining access to the device, but it will limit some of the impact.
iPhone: If It’s Stolen, Do This: How to Lock It Forever
A security feature in iPhone phones gives fraudsters access to the device while simultaneously preventing users from finding their stolen device.
The Wall Street Journal reveals how a device security feature called a recovery key can be exploited by “bad actors”.
Bad Actors is a lock tool that prevents device owners from using it by locking them. WSJ reports user Creg Frasca, who has been locked out of his device since last October.
Frasca said he was willing to travel to Cupertino to prove to Apple that he owned the device, but also to pay $10,000 to regain control of his device.
Indeed, on the device, he has photos of his 8-year-old daughters that he does not want to lose under any circumstances.
But Frasca is not the only one, as many users have the same problem.
Someone stole Frasca’s cell phone from a Chicago bar and used the unlock code, which he likely saw before stealing the device, to change his Apple ID password.
They then made sure that Frasca could no longer regain control of his device by activating the recovery key.
The recovery key was originally released in 2020 by Apple.
When activated, it generates a 28-digit code, which is required whenever the user wants to change their Apple ID password. However, if the user has not activated it and those who steal their device do so, the user loses access to their account and there is no turning back.
Apple through a spokesperson said:
“We sympathize with those who have had this experience and take all attacks on our users, however rare, very seriously.
We work tirelessly every day to protect our users’ accounts and data, and we’re always looking for additional protections against emerging threats like this. »
To generate the security key, you can go to your iPhone or iPad and follow these instructions:
- Go to Settings > Your Name > Password & Security
- Click Account Recovery
- Activate the option
- Click Use device recovery and enter your password.
- Keep the written recovery key in a safe place
- The recovery key is confirmed on the next screen
The problem with this implementation is that you can easily lose the recovery key whether you have it on paper or stored somewhere digitally.
If this happens, say goodbye to your data if you lose your phone, once and for all. On the other hand, if you don’t lose it and you find a way to keep it safe, in case of theft, you protect your data and your passwords.
If you have the recovery key, Apple will ask you to use it, along with a phone you registered and an Apple device to complete the process.
But even Apple admits that losing the recovery key means you’ll be permanently locked out of your account.
In fact, places with lots of people are a common place for something like this to happen if your device is stolen, where many people can see the code to unlock your device.
If the thief sees the code, they can easily steal your device and lock you up forever.
It then activates the recovery key and locks you your account forever.
So far, only one user has managed to fix Apple.
The reason Terry Allen, after months of trying with Apple, came across a good representative who took the time to ask Allen questions to confirm Allen’s identity.
He then disabled the recovery key and Allen regained access to his data and the photos that had been the reason he had spent so many months of his life trying to figure it out.
He said he was lucky and always kept a backup of his photos.
So it is good to use strong codes for the cases when we cannot unlock the device with FaceID.
