In iOS 18, there is a new security feature that restarts the iPhone after several days without unlocking. This greatly complicates the work of law enforcement officers.
The Verge writes about this.
After rebooting, the phone goes into the Before First Unlock (BFU) state, when data can only be accessed after entering a password or PIN code. According to the publication, the police are already dissatisfied with this innovation, because it makes it difficult to access information for investigations.
The iPhone has two states: AFU (After First Unlock), which is the state the device is in after the first unlock after being turned on, and BFU (Before First Unlock), which is the state the device is in immediately after being turned on.
Corellium founder Chris Wade confirmed the feature in iOS 18.1, and researcher Yiska Klasen from the Gasso Plattner Institute published screenshots confirming it. Apple representatives have not yet given official comments.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000At the same time, cryptographer and associate professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore Matthew Green is sure that this is protection not from the police, but in general from unauthorized access to the device, in particular from thieves and fraudsters. The associate professor also added that this is a great addition to the security system of Apple smartphones.
This feature means that if your phone is stolen, thieves will not be able to keep it for several months until they develop hacking technology. So it seems like a pretty good idea, he said.
Apple indeed added a feature called “inactivity reboot” in iOS 18.1. This is implemented in keybagd and the AppleSEPKeyStore kernel extension. It seems to have nothing to do with phone/wireless network state. Keystore is used when unlocking the device.https://t.co/ONZuU9zVt2 https://t.co/4ORUqR6P6N pic.twitter.com/O3jijuqpN0
— Jiska (@naehrdine) November 8, 2024