A company that makes phone hacking devices claims to have developed a solution that freezes iPhones in a state that lets cops more easily access sensitive data inside them, according to a video obtained by 404 Media. This is the latest salvo in the never-ending battle between Apple and companies that help cops break into iPhones.
In November 2024, 404 Media revealed Apple quietly introduced a new feature in iOS that automatically reboots an iPhone that has not been unlocked for 72 hours. The idea behind this so-called “inactivity reboot” is to revert the phone to a state that makes it harder for police to break into the device.
The new technology to get around inactivity reboot was developed by Magnet Forensics, the company behind GrayKey. Magnet has developed a new device called GrayKey Preserve and a feature for its regular GrayKey devices called Evidence Preservation Mode, according to the video. “This is an absolute game changer for iOS forensics,” a Magnet employee says in the leaked video.
The idea behind GrayKey Preserve and Evidence Preservation Mode is to keep the iPhone in a state known as After First Unlock, or AFU. Having an iPhone in that state essentially allows cops to access data that would otherwise be much harder to obtain if the phone was in a Before First Unlock, or BFU state.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing