Apple is looking to make iOS even more secure, even if they irk law enforcement along the way.
iOS 11.4, which is still in development, will include a security feature that disables the Lightning port if the iPhone hasn’t been unlocked for seven days.
The feature is called USB Restricted Mode.
Apple has described it like this:
To improve security, for a locked iOS device to communicate with USB accessories you must connect an accessory via Lightning connector to the device while unlocked–or enter your device passcode while connected–at least once a week.
The Lightning port will still work for charging after the seven day window, but won’t sync or pass any data. To regain full Lightning port functionality you need to enter the device passcode.
This represents bad news for law enforcement agencies relying on companies like Celebrite and Grayshift to unlock iPhones. At present, both companies often physically connect a device to the iPhone’s Lightning port to hack in, break the passcode, and access data.
The move also comes at a point in time where law enforcement agencies now have a backlog of devices they want to crack open and access. With the advent of USB Restricted Mode, the devices would only be accessible for seven days.
Apple’s new time restriction means law enforcement agencies will have to decide quickly which iPhones they want to hack for evidence. Even still, the odds of forensic specialists being able to keep up with the workload is pretty slim.
Law enforcement agencies and hackers can still break through iPhone security via techniques such as desoldering chips from the iPhone’s logic board and hacking those in their spare time. These techniques require a lot more skill than simply plugging in a cable and waiting.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and Elcomsoft