iOS 12.1 has landed and it is
For iPhone and iPad owners who have upgraded to Apple iOS 12.1, it is easy to hack your phones with a simple phone call. And worryingly, anyone can do it.
The flaw is in lockscreen security and it allows anyone to get past Face ID or Touch ID on your iPhone and dive straight into all your contact information.
Shown off by security researcher Jose Rodriguez (video below), anyone can call your iPhone from another iPhone and, once connected, the call is turned into a FaceTime video call and ‘Add Person’ option pressed on the target iPhone. This brings up the device’s full contact list and using 3D Touch on any contact reveals all their data, such as their phone numbers, email addresses and more.
The flaw is specific to iOS 12.1 as it doesn’t work on any other version of iOS and, ironically, worst affected are premium iPhones as cheaper models like the iPhone XR, iPhone SE and older iPhone 6 don’t have 3D Touch.
But the biggest worry is how easy this hack was discovered.
Rodriguez took just two hours to expose it and it's far from a one-off. Rodriguez has found simple lockscreen bypasses in every iOS 12 release so far, with two in iOS 12 (1,2) and another in iOS 12.0.1 (link) prior to the iOS 12.1 hack today.
There's another concern in iOS 12.1 as well and iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X owners might want to look away now.
Despite Apple promising owners of these phones last year that they would not be subject to the same controversial performance throttling the company applies to older iPhones, iOS 12.1 has introduced it for all three models.
Forbes’ Ewan Spence has written about this, and Apple already faces almost 60 Class Action lawsuits in the US and legal action from multiple governments around the world for silently introducing what many deem is ‘planned obsolescence’ and Italy has already issued fines. So iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR owners, clearly it will be your turn this time next year.
And this may not be the end of the problems.
My iOS 12.1 Upgrade Guide reports cases of graphics glitches, WiFi problems and battery life complaints. So you would be wise delay your upgrade unless you suffer from one of the flaws it does fix.
All in all, it’s a disappointingly rocky start for iOS 12. Especially given Apple has promoted it as being a back-to-basics focus on speed, stability and security. On the plus side, iOS 12 is packed with numerous secret features which show Apple does still care about finely crafting its software.
What next? I would expect iOS 12.1.1 to arrive as a dedicated bug fix before the end of November. Unsurprisingly, Apple has already announced it is in beta testing...
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