Apple Says Sorry For iPhone Error 53 and Issues IOS 9.2.1 Update To Fix It (betanews.com)

Mark Wilson writes: Apple has a lot of support at the moment for its stance on encryption and refusing the FBI access to an iPhone's contents, but it's only a couple of weeks since the company was seen in a less favorable light. There was quite a backlash when users found that installing an update to iOS resulted in Error 53 and a bricked iPhone. Apple initially said that Error 53 was caused 'for security reasons' following speculation that it was a bid to stop people from using third party repair shops. iFixit suggested that the problem was a result of a failure of parts to correctly sync, and Apple has been rounding criticized for failing to come up with a fix. Today the company has issued an apology, along with an update that ensures Error 53 won't happen again. But there's more good news ... If you were talked into paying for an out of warranty replacement as a result of Error 53, you could be in line to get your money back.

Comments

It's a trap!

[xombo]

Stealthily pushing out an update that will make cracking the Secure Enclave easier in future FBI investigations?

Re:It's a trap!

[sjames]

Complete nonsense. If there is reason to suspect the fingerprint scanner, it should be ignored, that is all.

Re:It's a trap!

[BronsCon]

Now what will happen is you'll use a insecure sensor, apple will still allow the phone to boot, and a bunch of dumbasses will go ahead and use the phone with a compromised sensor

You mean, what happens now? You do realize that Error 53 doesn't happen immediately (it would possibly be a security feature if it did) but, instead, happens weeks or months later when software updates are applied. A proper security feature would be deactivating power and data pins for the sensor if it fails to authenticate itself at boot, permanently disabling it after a set number of failures. No need to disable the entire phone; the non-working sensor should alert the user to the problem.

Re:It's a trap!

[myowntrueself]

The other great part about this is ... its because people are cheaping out on a repair for a $650+ device. People are idiots. Buy a cheap repair, you deserve your phone bricked for stupidity.

You are travelling and in some 3rd world location, it might be for your job. You might need your phone for survival (trust me, if you travel in out of the way places a smart phone really can be a survival accessory). The screen breaks. Shipping it to a certified Apple repair place might take months and cost rather a lot, what with secure shipping etc. So you get it repaired locally. It happens and its not 'cheaping out'.

Re:It's a trap!

[burtosis]

I regularly work with these kinds of devices and technologies. A few tiny screws, heat sensitive adhesive, and some flat flex cables will not and have not deterred me from fixing the phone for $2-12 instead of a ridiculous $100 and a long wait or some just as ridiculous maintenance plan.

Re:It's a trap!

[AmiMoJo]

This is actually a pretty common scenario for people who follow route guidance in Apple Maps.

Re:Sorry for what?

[bobbied]

OK... Before I get savaged.... They ARE refunding anybody who has paid Apple to repair their phone.... No mention of those who just purchased a new phone though...

wait a second

[davecotter]

i thought the point of this error 53 was to purposely render your data inaccessible in the case where the touchID had been tampered with? when i read about it, i was like, the people that are whining about this don't fully understand security, that this bricking thing is actually good, cuz a bad guy could replace a real touch sensor with a compromised one, then unlock the phone with a fake fingerprint. now, with this "fix", it seems a bad guy could do exactly that? i'm sure i'm missing something.

Re:wait a second

[Anubis IV]

This update doesn't re-enable TouchID. It simply allows people to unlock using their passcode.

More or less, the Secure Enclave can be accessed via user passcode or TouchID. Error 53 was a means of securing iPhones against possible breaches resulting from the use of untrusted TouchID components, but the approach was overly heavy-handed, since it also prevented users from using their passcode. This update restores that ability, while still disabling the untrusted, third-party TouchID components.

Re:wait a second

[AmiMoJo]

The security claim made no sense to anyone who understood how fingerprint scanners work. Apple spun some bullshit line and Apple fans bought it, inventing elaborate and ridiculous explanations to back it up.

Hint: Much easier and more effective than building a custom fingerprint sensor that records the fingerprint data, just passively snoop the touchscreen data lines which are analogue and unencrypted. Capture the user's PIN/password.

My wife got a free new phone due to this bug

[leonbev]

The Touch ID sensor died on my wife's iPhone 6S, and it prevented the iOS 9.2.1 update from installing even after doing a factory reset.

The Apple Store couldn't fix the issue, so she got a brand new phone out of the deal. Good thing the phone was still under warranty!

Re:Sorry for what?

[sims 2]

"This update will restore phones âbrickedâ(TM) or disabled by Error 53 and will prevent future iPhones that have had their home button (or the cable) replaced by third-party repair centers from being disabled." From the article on techcrunch.

Re:Wrong!

[boarder8925]

All right, I'm partially wrong. iOS 9.2.1 is from Jan 2016, but Apple pushed a new build of 9.2.1 on 18 Feb 2016 to fix the Error 53 issue. The /. headline says 9.2.1 came out today, which is why I was confused.

Also, to get the new build of 9.2.1, you apparently need to download it through iTunes, not over your iDevice's Wi-Fi connection.