Apple’s Restricted USB Mode Might Have Already Been Beaten

The other day Apple confirmed that they were including a new feature in iOS 12 in the form of a restricted USB mode. Basically what this does is that it prevents (or tries to) devices from connecting to an iPhone that has not been unlocked for the past hour, meaning that it should render devices used by law enforcement useless.

Unfortunately for Apple, it seems that the feature might have already been beaten. This is according to a report from Motherboard in which forensic experts have told them that companies such as Grayshift (who is behind devices like the GrayKey) might have found a way around it already.

In an email sent from a forensic expert, “Grayshift has gone to great lengths to future proof their technology and stated that they have already defeated this security feature in the beta build. Additionally, the GrayKey has built in future capabilities that will begin to be leveraged as time goes on. They seem very confident in their staying power for the future right now.”

It is unclear as to how Grayshift might have found a way around the restricted USB mode, but no doubt that this is something that Apple will want to take note of in the event that it is true and they need to update their security.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Cellphones
Tags: iOS, iPhone, Security