If you reassured yourself that your iPhone theft is just “material,” this news should push you to be more cautious. In fact, a very simple method makes it possible to go beyond simple theft.
It all starts with a prying eye.
The method is not that complex: the thieves watch their victims manually enter their personal code and can, after stealing the phone, unlock it in peace. From there, this simple access code can be used to modify the Apple ID of the device, to deactivate the “Find My iPhone” geolocation function but also to reset the recovery key.
Specifically, this last function is used to find access to a lost Apple ID. But if the thief manages to modify it, unfortunately the owner of the iPhone will not be able to access his own account. And the scammer will have full control of the device and the data associated with it, including photos.
“We understand the people who have had this experience and we take all attacks on our users very seriously, no matter how rare,” an Apple spokesperson told CNN. “We work tirelessly every day to protect our users’ accounts and data, and we’re always looking for additional protections against emerging threats like this.” But while waiting for the updates, some security reflexes are necessary.
Some ways to better protect your iPhone
The first piece of advice to give is to never divulge your password. It may seem obvious, but one of the most effective tricks is to simply ask you to handle your phone live and watch you enter your password. To avoid falling into this trap, it is highly recommended to use biometric identification (Touch ID or Face ID) so as not to reveal anything to prying eyes.
Finally, one last, lesser-known tip is to set your iPhone’s “Screen Time,” a feature originally dedicated to parental controls. The latter is set by a secondary password that would prevent a thief from changing your Apple ID.
Source: BFM TV
