Oliver Haslam·

Apple’s USB Restricted Mode Reportedly Bypassed Already By Grayshift

We recently told you about Apple’s move to add a mechanism to iOS 12 which would defeat law enforcement’s use of GrayKey boxes to gain access to locked iOS devices, but according to a new report this may not be the case after all.

Apple confirmed that devices with iOS 12 installed would render their Lightning ports useless for data transfer if they had not been unlocked within the last hour, and with GrayKey boxes brute forcing their way into devices via those ports this move was thought to be the death knell for those boxes.

According to a report by Vice though, security researchers have already found a way to work around the new feature.

In an email obtained by Vice a forensic expert claims that Grayshift, the makers of GrayKey boxes has already taken steps in order to “future proof” their technologies.

“Grayshift has gone to great lengths to future proof their technology and stated that they have already defeated this security feature in the beta build. Additionally, the GrayKey has built in future capabilities that will begin to be leveraged as time goes on,” a June email from a forensic expert who planned to meet with Grayshift, and seen by Motherboard, reads.

It’s unknown whether this can be trusted but it’s equally unclear why anyone would want to lie about it either. If Apple thinks that its existing security measures have been circumvented then it’s more likely that it will seek ever more secure options instead.

Apple’s USB Restricted Mode is currently going through the iOS 12 beta program which is currently in its first release. It’s expected that the final release will come around September time, at which point the new security feature will be rolled out to any device capable of supporting it once users have triggered the update.

(Source: Motherboard)

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