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Police Freak Out at iPhones Mysteriously Rebooting Themselves, Locking Cops Out (404media.co)

(Saturday November 09, 2024 @05:03AM (msmash) from the stranger-things dept.)


Law enforcement officers are warning other officials and forensic experts that iPhones which have been stored securely for forensic examination are [1]somehow rebooting themselves, returning the devices to a state that makes them much harder to unlock , 404 Media is reporting, citing a law enforcement document it obtained. From the report:

> The exact reason for the reboots is unclear, but the document authors, who appear to be law enforcement officials in Detroit, Michigan, hypothesize that Apple may have introduced a new security feature in iOS 18 that tells nearby iPhones to reboot if they have been disconnected from a cellular network for some time. After being rebooted, iPhones are generally more secure against tools that aim to crack the password of and take data from the phone.

>

> "The purpose of this notice is to spread awareness of a situation involving iPhones, which is causing iPhone devices to reboot in a short amount of time (observations are possibly within 24 hours) when removed from a cellular network," the document reads. Apple did not provide a response on whether it introduced such an update in time for publication.



[1] https://www.404media.co/police-freak-out-at-iphones-mysteriously-rebooting-themselves-locking-cops-out/



Theft protection (Score:2)

by internetd00du ( 7659518 )

I recently got notifications on my Pixel about enabling theft protection features that lock the screen if there's a suspected snatch of the phone. Plus another setting that will lock the phone if it goes offline. Seems reasonable to me.

Turn your phone off at the border (Score:2)

by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 )

Cops have tools to scan a phone's RAM. They can read the memory of active apps and possibly use the information to crack the device.

Always turn your phone off when going through customs or in any other scenario where it might be confiscated and searched.

Re: Turn your phone off at the border (Score:2)

by ZERO1ZERO ( 948669 )

What about when they say it should be on so they can verify it or check it actually is a phone or laptop?

Re: (Score:2)

by geekmux ( 1040042 )

> What about when they say it should be on so they can verify it or check it actually is a phone or laptop?

Thats what X-ray machines are for.

Never really quite understood the policy of “smash buttons until it makes lights” Neanderthal mentality with this kind of security validation. That’s a fucking bomb if it’s not a phone or laptop. Ask the bomb squad if they “power on” the bomb first to make sure it’s a bomb and not a phone.

Re: Turn your phone off at the border (Score:2)

by ZERO1ZERO ( 948669 )

If i ever travel to america which may be next month for the first time, i just gonna leave my phone at home seems dangerous. I dont need a phone for 10 days anyway.

Re: Turn your phone off at the border (Score:1)

by oldnuskeet ( 6194988 )

That kind of technical operation, if even possible, would take a lot of time and skilled work hours, I highly doubt they use it on general public.

The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth.
-- A. Camus