Cops Can Bypass iPhone's Automatic Reboot to Get into Locked Phones(404media.co)
282 points by speckx 12 days ago | 220 comments
tl;dr: Magnet Forensics, maker of the GrayKey phone-cracking tool used by law enforcement, has developed new products ("GrayKey Preserve" and an "Evidence Preservation Mode") that bypass Apple's inactivity reboot feature. That iOS feature, introduced in late 2024, automatically reboots iPhones after 72 hours of being locked, reverting them to a state that's harder to crack. The workaround helps police preserve seized devices in a more accessible state while waiting for warrants or working through backlogs.
HN Discussion:
  • ↑Police may be searching phones before obtaining warrants, raising legal concerns
  • •Technical explanation of how the bypass likely works by extracting AFU keybags
  • ↑Users should add extra encryption layers to protect sensitive data on phones
  • ↓Article's framing is biased by implying the reboot feature only hinders police rather than all attackers
  • •Apple's implementation of the reboot timer is flawed and gives false sense of security