Apple recently introduced a new security feature with the iOS 18.1 update that was released to users on October 28 that could prove troublesome for both thieves and law enforcement officials. According to a report, police officers in the US noticed that some iPhone models kept for forensic examination were rebooting automatically, making it very difficult to bypass the smartphone’s security. A security researcher has confirmed that the reboot was caused by a new feature added to iOS 18.
iOS 18.1 introduces ‘inactivity reboot’ feature on iPhone
According to a report by 404 Media, police officers in Detroit discovered that some iPhone units that were in storage and awaiting forensic examination were being rebooted, allowing a hack designed to gain access to the seized devices. It became difficult to unlock those devices using the tool.
The publication also cites a Michigan police document that suggests Apple introduced a feature that allows an iPhone to “communicate” with other devices, prompting them to reboot. Is. However, this theory was debunked after a security researcher discovered the iOS 18.2 code
Security researcher Jiska (@jiska@chaos.social) points out in a post on Mastodon that Apple has actually added a feature called “inactivity reboot”, which has nothing to do with the phone’s network status. Instead, the feature is designed to reboot any iPhone running iOS 18.1 if it hasn’t been unlocked for a while.
How Apple’s ‘idle reboot’ feature affects thieves and law enforcement
Apple encrypts user data on smartphones in two situations – before first unlock (BFU) and after first unlock (AFU). The first is the situation when an iPhone has been restarted, and the handset can only receive calls. This is an advanced mode of security, which is reduced when the user unlocks it for the first time and enables support for Face ID or Touch ID.
An iPhone remains in AFU mode until the second one is rebooted, which means that a law enforcement officer (or a thief) can use specific tools (CellBrite or GrayKey) designed to unlock the device and access its contents. Can use from companies like. However, when an iPhone is in BFU state, it is very difficult for these devices to gain access to the device using brute force techniques.
This is not the first time that Apple has introduced a feature that protects the iPhone from unauthorized access. After the company refused to unlock the iPhone for the FBI in 2016 (the FBI ultimately used a third party to unlock the phone), the company added a setting that disables USB debugging on its smartphones,
