Apple fails to assist third parties in unlocking iPhones, so many law enforcement organizations rely on the Graykey forensics program. According to a recent claim from 404 Media, this contentious product now has access to the latest iPhone 16 models.
Should you be concerned about this? Almost definitely not, but it’s still important to understand how these things work. Here is a basic overview.
According to a fresh claim, Graykey can access “partial” information on iPhones running iOS 18 or iOS 18.0.1, which includes the iPhone 16 range. We don’t know what “partial” information means. According to leaked papers, Graykey cannot access iPhones running iOS 18.1 beta. A similar restriction is thought to apply to the official version of iOS 18.1, which was made available to the public in late October.
Graykey, like another law enforcement-approved unlocking product, Cellebrite, is extremely secretive about how its products unlock iPhones. What we do know is that these companies are looking for new iPhone vulnerabilities to accomplish their jobs. As Apple addresses security problems, businesses must discover new ways to access data, and so on.
Since at least iOS 12 in 2018, Apple has uncovered vulnerabilities that allow iPhones to be unlocked and has published software fixes to address the issue. Finally, third parties discover more vulnerabilities, and so forth.
According to 404 Media, Magnet Forensics, which owns Graykey, may eventually develop ways to unlock iOS 18, iOS 18.1, and the following generations. Apple developers are presently testing iOS 18.2, which should be available to everyone before the end of the year. The stolen docs make no mention of this version.
It’s worth noting that devices like Graykey and Cellebrite require physical access to a device to function – if they do at all. This is not something you’ll come across in the wild, and it cannot be done remotely.
User privacy has always been one of Apple’s basic values. As a result, its devices, like the iPhone and iPad, use robust encryption. The corporation has regularly refused government efforts to establish a “backdoor” for data access.
Individuals concerned about unauthorized access to their phones should ensure they have installed the most recent software upgrades. This implies updating iPhones to iOS 18.1.1 and iPads to iPadOS 18.1.1.
