Government officials have hired security experts from the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center to crack Apple’s new security methods in iOS 7. In a preemptive attempt to curb an influx in smartphone theft, San Francisco’s District Attorney and New York’s Attorney General are putting Apple to the test. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 will also be examined.
From a statement the two officials provided to CNET:
“While we are appreciative of the efforts made by Apple and Samsung to improve security of the devices they sell, we are not going to take them at their word. Today we will assess the solutions they are proposing and see if they stand up to the tactics commonly employed by thieves.”
On the iPhone 5, security experts will be specifically testing the new Activation Lock in iOS 7, a theft deterrent Apple debuted at WWDC in June.
It’s common practice for smartphone thieves to deactivate an iPhone before trafficking it out of the country. That keeps the device from being tracked and found by its owner. With Activation Lock in iOS 7, an iPhone cannot be reactivated without entering the Apple ID login details that were used to register it originally—so it’s essentially a kill switch, providing that it works.
Activation Lock was likely a reaction on Apple’s part to the government’s recent push for tech companies to build smarter anti-theft software into their phones. For a fascinating look into the underground smartphone trafficking ring, check out this article on The Huffington Post.
The security experts’ findings are expected to be released later today.
Source: CNET
Image: AP
