Apple’s Activation Lock web site may have been involved in a hack, thus explaining its sudden removal and elimination.
As it turns out, the Activation Lock website was a vital part of a bypass hack used to unlock devices bricked by Activation Lock, perhaps hinting at why Apple shelved it.
The hack centered around the perpetrators changing one or two characters of an invalid serial number, thereby generating a valid serial number for an iOS device. The valid number could then be used to gain full access to the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
Recently, when attempting to activate a new or recently restored device, some iPhone owners have found their devices inexplicably locked to another Apple ID account – one with an unknown name and password. The problem has been affecting iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, and 7 Plus models since September and can only be fixed by Apple.
Apple has yet to confirm the existence of the hack demonstrated below, but it currently stands as a plausible theory as to why the Activation Lock page was shuttered almost overnight.
Up until now, the Activation Lock feature, introduced alongside iOS 7, had proven to be a successful theft deterrent. The technology effectively locks an iOS device to a specific Apple ID account and, even when wiped, would demand the original Apple ID and password.
It’s not clear if Apple will provide a new Activation Lock website for customers who used it legitimately, but unless the company comes up with a method to prevent it from being misused, it seems unlikely.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors