iOS 11.4 Disables Lightning Connector After 7 Days, Limiting Law Enforcement Access (macrumors.com)

hyperclocker shares a report from Mac Rumors: The iOS 11.4 update, currently being beta tested, includes a USB Restricted Mode that introduces a week-long expiration date on access to the Lightning port on your iOS devices if your phone hasn't been unlocked, which has implications for law enforcement tools like the GrayKey box. USB Restricted Mode was outlined this morning by Elcomsoft after testing confirmed that the feature has indeed been enabled. In Elcomsoft's experience, after an iPhone or iPad has been updated to iOS 11.4, if it hasn't been unlocked or connected to a paired computer in the last 7 days using a passcode, the Lightning port is useless for data access and limited to charging.

"At this point, it is still unclear whether the USB port is blocked if the device has not been unlocked with a passcode for 7 consecutive days; if the device has not been unlocked at all (password or biometrics); or if the device has not been unlocked or connected to a trusted USB device or computer," reports Elcomsoft. "In our test, we were able to confirm the USB lock after the device has been left idle for 7 days. During this period, we have not tried to unlock the device with Touch ID or connect it to a paired USB device. What we do know, however, is that after the 7 days the Lightning port is only good for charging."

Comments

Good job Apple!

[Murdoch5]

The harder it is for law enforcement to access an electronic device, the better our privacy and personal security. Well it sucks for law enforcement to be restricted from accessing the phones of criminals, that's a sacrifice we MUST allow, for all of us to have basic privacy and security.

Re:Good job Apple!

[rogoshen1]

if it were simple for law enforcement to access the phones of citizens (criminals and innocents alike), they wouldn't just use those capabilities for investigations into criminal matters. It would be a gigantic fishing expedition. Bear in mind the FBI is enthusiastically pushing for back-doors in encryption; it's such a blatant tell as to what their and other LEO groups end game would be. I'm being somewhat sarcastic with this but:

*red and blue lights in your rearview mirror*
*police office saunters over, and you roll your window down*
The officer speaks: "license, registration, and cell phone please"

Basically to LEO's everyone is a potential suspect. They view due process, privacy rights, the 5th amendment etc as obstacles to doing their job; catching bad guys. But these obstacles are there specifically to keep police honest.

Sure, removing these obstacles might net a few more criminals locked up, crimes solved etc -- but it comes at the cost of increasingly aggressive police behavior, and erosion of civil liberties.

Once government on any level gets power, it never, ever voluntarily relinquishes it.

Re: Good job Apple!

[Anonymous Coward]

I have icloud backup turned off, I am sure some percent of criminals do too.

The answer to your question, though, is "never". There is never a point at which supplying a computer with encryption is abetting a crime.

Too bad...

[Anonymous Coward]

Too bad you can't select the time out period in settings. 12-24 hours would be ideal.

First words out

[jwhyche]

I'm just going to put this here because I know where this topics going go.

First words out of your mouth when talking to law enforcement are as follows, "I want my lawyer."

Then you shut the fuck up till he gets there.

Re:Implications for ALL attackers

[jellomizer]

There isn't a key that only the Good guys can use, that the bad guys cannot obtain.
While I respect our law enforcement workers. And I understand their request for such a key. It is an issue that we cannot allow their job to be as easy as they want. Because I value my personal rights, and I don't want the bad guys being able to get in too.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:As long as I can disable it...

[arth1]

As long as I can disable it...

Just like I disabled TouchID and the passcode. I just want easy access.

I want the opposite - I want to be able to configure those 7 days down to six hours. Or however long I want.
So yes, this should be a user decision, not a hardcoded value pulled out of some Apple guy's derriere.

Re: As long as I can disable it...

[jawtheshark]

You misunderstand. It's not a "nothing to hide" argument. If you have stuff to hide, don't put it on your phone. I just really like convenience .

Re:As long as I can disable it...

[jwhyche]

There isn't all that much interesting stuff on my phone

It isn't what you think that is interesting, it is what law enforcement might find interesting. Something that you find innocent can be twisted any kind of way by some creative DA.

Then there is the issue of un-creative DA or cop that goes straight from fishing for evidence to just simply putting it on your phone. So, if you are arrested and it goes before a judge where the DA says they found naked preteen porn on your phone. Preteen porn that he put there, who is the judge going to believe?

Think of the lock on your phone like the lock on your door. It won't keep the cops from coming in if they want too. But it will make them go through the proper channels to do so. Those channels are might be the only thing that saves you from becoming another victim of a bad system.

Don't make their jobs easy for them. That makes them sloppy. Make them work for it.. Make them do their jobs.

Re:Implications for ALL attackers

[ShanghaiBill]

Simple rule of thumb: Conservatives generally support law enforcement at the local level, but are often opposed to federal law enforcement agencies, such as the ATF, SEC, FTC, EEOC, etc. For liberals, it is the other way around.

Exceptions to this rule: DEA, ICE.