There is a feature on iPhones that can help you regain access to your Apple ID account when all other methods have failed: the recovery key. While that can be very handy at first glance, a hacker only needs to know your PIN code to prevent you from connecting, thus protecting your important data.
Credit: 123rf
Credit: 123rfDespite Apple’s best efforts to protect its smartphones from malicious attacks, sometimes hacking an iPhone is a lot easier than you might think. We especially remember this Brazilian gang, who boasted that they could unlock any iPhone simply by removing the SIM card. Another similar technique was discovered by The Wall Street Journal that does not require advanced technical skills.
According to the American newspaper, all the hacker needs is his victim’s PIN code. All he has to do is throw a few indiscreet glances over the shoulder and then use a moment of inattention to steal the smartphone from his hand. After that, he only has to use a security feature that Apple introduced in 2020.
Hacking an iPhone is a piece of cake thanks to this security option
This functionality is the famous “Recovery Key”. Specifically, it’s a string of 28 randomly generated characters that you can use to reset your Apple ID account password when no other method is available. Convenient, but there’s a twist: once a recovery key is generated, Apple disables account recovery entirely.
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As I’m sure you understood, a hacker who has unlocked an iPhone can easily prevent their victim from logging into their Apple ID account simply by changing their password and generating a recovery key. Hence, it is impossible for her to recover and salvage all her important data.
“We feel sorry for those who have experienced this tragedy, and we take all attacks against our users very seriously, although they are rare,” said an Apple spokesman. “We work tirelessly every day to protect our users’ accounts and data, and we’re always looking for additional safeguards against new threats like these. »
Source: Wall Street Journal