After a brief run, Apple has blocked the GrayKey hacking device in iOS 12.
The GrayKey, which was used by law enforcement, was released earlier this year by a company called Grayshift, and founded in part by a former Apple security engineer. The device was marketed as a means of breaking into iPhones as new as the iPhone X.
Grayshift is a secretive company, and got contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as the Secret Service. Certain U.S. law enforcement agencies had also started using the device.
The device used a hacking technique known as “brute forcing,” which guessed different combinations of passcodes in quick succession. Even so, Apple was apparently able to prevent GrayKey from working on devices running iOS 12.
It’s unknown how Apple achieved this, though it’s though that Apple somehow obtained a device and reverse engineered it. Vladimir Katalov, chief of forensic tech provider Elcomsoft, offered the following statement:
“No idea. It could be everything from better kernel protection to stronger configuration-profile installation restrictions.”
iOS 12 offers have a new security feature that prevents USB accessories from accessing your device if your iPhone hasn’t been unlocked for over an hour. Users can find the toggle in Settings > Touch ID & Passcode.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and Forbes