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iPhone USB Restricted Mode – Too Little Too Late?

July 17, 2018

Apple hopes to defeat tools that are able to bypass security features of iOS devices with its newest version of the operating system. iOS 11.4.1 has a feature called "USB Restricted Mode" intended to thwart hacking tools such as GrayKey. Naked Security reported that all eligible devices (iPhone 5s and later) have access to the new feature. Apple's description of the new feature:

If you don't first unlock your password-protected iOS device – or you haven't unlocked and connected it to a USB accessory within the past hour – your iOS device won't communicate with the accessory or computer, and in some cases, it might not charge. You might also see an alert asking you to unlock your device to use accessories.

Apple fans may feel that they are now protected by the new iOS release, but there are reports that the capability has already been cracked. Even Elcomsoft states that a $39 device can defeat Apple's latest attempt to protect access to iOS devices. As most readers know, we do digital forensics and are always looking for ways to access electronic data on various devices. While there may be specific circumstances where iOS 11.4.1 can defeat access via a USB port, I'm guessing that Apple's attempts probably fall short of being effective for this round.

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