Bugs and security holes
If you are afraid that someone will be able to unlock your iPhone without a code, I want to reassure you immediately: it is not an operation that can be done as easily as someone wants us to believe.
However, this must be said, gods are discovered from time to time bug and security flaws in iOS that allow you to access parts of the system, such as the settings menu or photos saved in Camera Roll, bypassing the iPhone and iPad lock screen.
Once discovered, bugs are fixed in a timely manner by Apple, but unfortunately not all users have the foresight to install software updates as soon as they are released. This means that "around" you can still find many examples of violable iPhones by exploiting old security holes. A few examples? I'll settle you immediately.
Up to iOS version 11.0.3, it is possible unlock iPhone without code and access all the photos of the roll using a very simple bug. The steps to be taken are very simple and within everyone's reach.
- Need call the iPhone to be unlocked without a code. If you don't know the iPhone number, just ask Siri to reveal the contact information of the phone owner;
- While the iPhone to be hacked rings, you have to press the button Message that appears at the bottom right and you have to select the item Customize give the menu to compare;
- In the screen that opens (the one for composing a new message), you have to type three emoji any;
- Then you have to call back Crab and ask her to “open the Settings”;
- The iPhone will show the code unlock request. You have to ignore the request and put the phone on standby by pressing the key Power;
- At this point, you have to recall the iPhone to be unlocked;
- While the iPhone to be hacked rings, you have to press the button again Message at the bottom right and you have to select the item Customize give the menu to compare;
- In the screen that opens (the one for composing a new message), you must first press the icon of arrow which is located at the bottom left and then on that of the camera: in this way you get access to the iOS Camera Roll and all its photos (which, potentially, it is also possible to send via message to the phone of the person who made the call, that is the potential attacker who is trying to unlock the iPhone without code).
This is just an example of a bug that can allow unlocking iPhones without a code, but other vulnerabilities of this kind have also been recorded in iOS in the past.
Fortunately, in most cases, bypassing the iPhone unlock code with one of these bugs does not give full access to the system, but the risks for your privacy are still high (just think of the opportunity to access all the photos and videos present in the Camera Roll using iOS defects such as the one illustrated above).
Restore via recovery mode
You forgot your iPhone unlock code. Have you tried to type various combinations without success and now the device is "disabled"? I'm sorry, but at this point you just have to activate the recovery mode phone and reset it by erasing all data, apps and settings on it (including the unlock code). To put the iPhone in recovery mode, you have to connect the latter to the computer via Lightning cable, you have to open iTunes and then you must follow the procedure best suited to the model of "iPhone by" in your possession.
- If you have one iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus: press the button Volume up, then the key Volume down and hold the side button until the recovery mode screen appears (the iTunes icon with the Lightning cable at the bottom).
- If you have one iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: hold the side button and the key Volume down at the same time until the recovery mode screen appears (the iTunes icon with the Lightning cable at the bottom).
- If you have one iPhone 6s or earlier: press and hold the side key (or top key) and the key Home at the same time until the recovery mode screen appears (the iTunes icon with the Lightning cable at the bottom).
Nella finestra che si apre, click on your button Restore and wait patiently for the latest version of iOS to be downloaded to the iPhone. If the download lasts longer than 15 minutes and the iPhone exits recovery mode, reactivate it by repeating the procedure described above.
Once the download is complete, iTunes will restore the operating system installed on the iPhone (updating it to the latest version) and then you can set the device as a new phone or restore a previous iOS backup. For more information on the whole procedure, read my tutorials on how to restore iPhone and how to restore iPhone backups.
How to protect the iPhone
Does the idea of someone unlocking your iPhone without knowing the security code scare you? Unfortunately, in the case of bugs and security holes, not much can be done (you have to wait for corrections from Apple), but in all other circumstances, to sleep relatively peacefully, just put into practice some simple rules of common sense.
Install the latest version of iOS
As widely said in the previous chapters of this post, as soon as bugs or security flaws are discovered that allow you to bypass the iOS lock screen, Apple will correct them and release new versions of its operating system.
This means that if you want to be reasonably sure about the inviolability of your system, you need to promptly install all iOS updates. To check for iOS updates and install them, all you have to do is open the panel settings iOS (the gear icon located on the home screen) and go to General> Software update. To activate the automatic download of updates, instead, go to the menu Settings> iTunes Store and App Store and move up ON the relative levetta all'opzione Updates.
If any steps are not clear to you and / or you want more information on how to update iOS, follow the instructions I gave you in my tutorial on the subject.
Use a complex unlock code
As trivial as it may seem, attackers are often able to discover the security codes of smartphones (and therefore to access the latter in an unauthorized manner) simply by looking at the movements of the fingers made by the legitimate owners when they unlock their devices.
In order not to take unnecessary risks of this kind, try not to type the unlock code of your iPhone in public, especially in crowded places, and set a very long unlock code (longer than the classic four digits used in traditional PINs).
To change (and expand) your iPhone's unlock code, go to the menu Settings> Touch ID and passcode, enter your phone's current unlock code and select the option Change codice. Then tap on the item Code options at the bottom and choose to set a custom numeric code or customized alphanumeric code.
Disable Siri on the unlock screen
Many bugs that allow you to unlock your iPhone without a passcode involve the use of Crab, Apple's voice assistant (which can be called up by anyone, not just the rightful owner of the phone). If you want to increase the security level of your "iPhone by", then, you can act on the system settings and disable the ability to call Siri from the lock screen.
To block access to Siri from the iPhone lock screen, go to the menu Settings> Siri and Search and move up OFF the relative levetta all'opzione Use Siri when locked. In this way, Siri will not be activated when the iPhone is locked and, therefore, you will not even be able to use the voice commands without first unlocking the device.
Use alternative unlocking methods
- touch ID - all the most recent iPhone models (to suffer from iPhone 5s), except iPhone X, which I will talk to you about shortly, have a fingerprint unlock function: the so-called Touch ID. To set up unlocking the iPhone with your fingerprint, go to settings iOS (the gear icon on the home screen), go to Touch ID and codice, enter the current unlock code of your "iPhone by" and select the option for add a footprint. Then follow the on-screen instructions and store your fingerprint on the iPhone by placing and lifting your finger from the Home button.
- Face ID - iPhone X introduced facial recognition instead of Touch ID. To activate this function, you need to go to the menu Settings> Face ID and passcode, select the option to activate Face ID and follow the on-screen instructions to be recognized by the iPhone's front camera (and its advanced sensors).
Disable the iPhone unlock code
This is a highly discouraged operation but, if you want, you can completely disable the unlock code of your iPhone (and other security systems, such as Touch ID and Face ID) by going to the menu Settings> Touch ID and passcode of your "iPhone by", by typing your current unlock code and pressing first on the item Disable code and then on the button disable.
The operation will delete all cards associated with Apple Pay, will no longer allow automatic unlocking of Apple Watch and will allow potential attackers to freely access all data on the iPhone.
How to unlock iPhone without passcode
