A hidden iOS 18 feature made it much harder for police to hack an iPhone 09:57

American law enforcement officials notified authorities and criminologists that there was a problem with iPhones seized from detainees; These iPhones self-reboot, making them significantly more difficult to unlock. about this says In an official document obtained by the 404 Media portal.

The exact reason for Apple smartphones rebooting is unknown. Detroit police officials believe this is due to a new security feature in iOS 18 that restarts the iPhone if the device does not connect to a carrier network for a certain period of time. However, Apple has not confirmed the existence of the auto-restart feature in iOS 18.

The document also states that the crime lab stored several iPhones in “first unlocked” (AFU) condition. These devices were kept in flight mode or in a Faraday cage to protect against possible remote data destruction. Such an iPhone was unlocked by the owner at least once with a password or other method, making it easier for the police to hack the smartphone using special tools. After a reboot, the device goes into a “before first unlock” (BFU) state, making it much harder to hack.

The document states that three iPhones with iOS 18 were delivered to the laboratory on October 3. It is assumed that the new iPhones interact with devices that are already in the AFU state in the laboratory and signal a reboot when not connected to the operator’s network for a long time. Moreover, this can happen not only with seized iPhones, but also with employees’ personal smartphones.

Law enforcement advised their colleagues to isolate iPhones stored in an AFU state to prevent interference with other devices running iOS 18. It is also recommended to make an inventory of iPhones stored in laboratories to ensure they do not reboot on their own.

Previously reportedHe said that a glitch in iCloud caused all notes on the iPhone to disappear.