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Apple's latest iteration of iOS has reportedly turned the GrayKey hacking device into an expensive doorstop. Apple has finally gotten ahead of the device's crafty manufacturers. For now.
Forbes'Thomas Brewster has been on the top of the GrayKey saga from the beginning. Today, he quoted sources of the forensic community who told him that Apple's efforts to keep bad actors and law enforcement of their phones.
According to the report, the $ US15,000 ($ 21,122) tool made by a shadowy company called Grayshift is now only capable of performing a "partial extraction" of data. It can pull a few unencrypted files and some metadata that's virtually worthless.
One source that went on the record for ForbesCaptain John Sherwin of the Rochester Police Department in Minnesota, confirmed that the release of iOS 12 has hobbled GrayKey's ability to unlock a phone. "That's just about as expert," he said. Forbes.
It's still unclear what exactly has changed GrayKey out. Previous report has told us that the tool uses a workaround to brute force its way in by guessing a users' pbadword until it gets it right. Apple has protections in place to stop that kind of tactics and GrayShift's methods are a closely held secret.
Not much is known about the company. In March, Forbes reported that GrayShift counts at least one former Apple security engineer as part of its team. You may not have seen it, but there have been indications that it works with private entities in some capacity as well.
With iOS 12, Apple implemented a highly-anticipated change called "USB Restricted Mode". This shuts off lightning port on the iPhone if it has not been unlocked by a user in the last hour. This article is only available in French. GrayShift and Cellebrite do not know for sure if that did the trick. Apple did not return our request for comment.
Whether it's the solution or not, you might want to double-check that your phone is set up for USB Restricted Mode.
You'll need to update to iOS 12 and go to Settings> FaceID and Pbadcode. Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
There's no word on whether GrayShift's competitors have hit a wall in their efforts to subvert Apple's security. This is a big money business, and we can expect that whoever loses their cash cow will be working overtime to figure out another workaround.
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