iOS 11.4 will be a nightmare for iPhone and iPad hackers

Apple devices running on iOS 11.4 will disable the Lightning port if the device is not unlocked or connected to a trusted PC for seven continues days

| Updated: Wednesday, May 9, 2018, 11:43 [IST]

Apple is beta testing the iOS 11.4 operating system, which will be made available for the select iPhones and iPads in the upcoming days. The iOS 11.4 will fix some of the bugs and improve the overall user experience of the iPhones and iPads and it is also touted to be the last iteration of the iOS 11, as the company is most likely to announce the iOS 12 on the WWDC 2018 (from 4th June to 8th June). Apple is one of the companies, that takes the matter of privacy pretty seriously and the iOS 11.4 will take it to a next level.

iOS 11.4 will be a nightmare for iPhone and iPad hackers

According to a report from Elcomsoft, an iPhone or an iPad running on iOS 11.4 will automatically disable the Lightning port if a user does not unlock the smartphone or connect it to a trusted PC for a 7 continues days. This will shorten the time span available for hackers and law enforcement agencies to unlock the device by brute force method.

Here is the official statement from Elcomsoft

"At this point, it is still unclear whether the USB port is blocked if the device has not been unlocked with a passcode for 7 consecutive days; if the device has not been unlocked at all (password or biometrics); or if the device has not been unlocked or connected to a trusted USB device or computer.

In our test, we were able to confirm the USB lock after the device has been left idle for 7 days. During this period, we have not tried to unlock the device with Touch ID or connect it to a paired USB device. What we do know, however, is that after the 7 days the Lightning port is only good for charging."

This is a welcome feature for an end user. However, for a law enforcement agents, this will be a nightmare. However, hackers and other people can still hack an iPhone or an iPad running on the iOS 11.4, but this time they have to do within a span of 7 days. Considering the time required for the brute force unlock of an iOS device, this feature will further prevent the third party personnel to access the data on a device running on iOS 11.4.

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