Apple levels up security protocol on iOS 18, wherein if it’s unlocked for three days, it will reboot on its own to prevent unauthorized access.
The security feature is quite a double-edged sword, affecting both thieves and law enforcement. This was revealed by an earlier report that forensic experts and law enforcement officers were concerned that some iPhones rebooted themselves mysteriously.
This gave them a hard time to access the devices and extract data. FYI, thieves and threat actors could use iPhones but the rebooting would also become an obstacle during investigation.
The Inactivity Reboot of the iOS 18 automatically reboots an iPhone within 72 hours left unlocked. It was demonstrated by Jiska Classen, a researcher at the Hasso Plattner Institute. Digital forensic product provider Magnet Forensics also confirmed that the feature’s timer is 72 hours.
If you’re not aware, an iPhone’s security measure is composed of two states: Before First Unlock (BFU) and After First Unlock (AFU). Between these two states, BFU is tougher because without the correct passcode, it’s almost impossible to access the data inside even with advanced tools.
In connection to Inactivity Reboot, iOS 18 essentially puts the iPhone on BFU state so either law enforcement and hackers and thieves can’t access and extract data. But if the issue is law enforcement and forensic experts getting locked out, Classen said that three days is enough time to coordinate the steps with professional analysts.
Are you in favor of this new security protocol of iOS 18?
