A complicated but worrying method of taking control of an iPhone and permanently locking it out is on the rise.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, thieves are using the recovery key to block iPhone owners from accessing their stolen data, photographs, and other items. According to the magazine, several victims had their bank accounts drained by thieves after they used phishing emails to get their financial information. But these kinds of takeovers are notoriously challenging. A burglar would have to either physically remove the phone from the owner or follow an iPhone user around a bar or sporting event until they divulged their passcode.
The burglar may then utilize the new Apple ID and disable "Find my iPhone" in order to hide and reset the recovery key, a challenging 28-digit code that safeguards the owner's data from hackers. If this key is compromised, it becomes impossible to reset or recover an Apple ID.
"We sympathize with people who have had this experience and we take all attacks on our users very seriously, no matter how rare," an Apple spokeswoman told CNN. We work very hard every day to protect the accounts and data of our users, and we're always searching for additional defenses against assaults like these. Apple recommends on its website that you keep your recovery key and trusted devices protected. You run the risk of having your account permanently closed if you lose either. Forrester Research's Jeff Pollard, vice president and principal analyst, suggested creating customer care channels and "ways for Apple users to authenticate so they can reset these settings."
CNN found that public Apple users can unlock their phones with Face ID or Touch ID. Criminals find alphanumeric passcodes harder to crack. If their passcode is hacked, users should change it immediately. Apple banned a popular hack. Screen Time lets parents set a second Apple ID password. Thieves need a backup password to change Apple ID credentials. iTunes and iCloud backups protect iPhones. Amazon Photos, DropBox, OneDrive (Microsoft), and Google Photos are great cloud storage options.