Apple should really invest in anti-theft security features for iPhone and iPad

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The Find My network, which has recently undergone significant upgrades, is one of the security measures that Apple products have long been renowned for. Nevertheless, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation published on Friday, these protections are insufficient to stop burglars from obtaining customer data. Apple should increase its investment in anti-theft security measures for iPhone and iPad with iOS 17.

SMARTPHONES ARE MORE VALUABLE THAN EVER TO THIEVES

Theft of smartphones is nothing new. Yet in recent years, the causes of these thefts have undergone a significant transformation. People used to steal phones in the past and sell them on the black market. Thieves continued to steal phones despite the introduction of features like iCloud Lock by Apple and other firms. After all, they may simply remove and market components of the apparatus, such as the display.

But, as technology developed, we began to invest more of our lives in our phones. Our paperwork, bank accounts, credit cards, and passwords… Yet as the WSJ story demonstrates, when all this data is in the wrong hands, such advantages may turn into nightmares.

For instance, many banks now allow consumers to do a variety of transactions through their apps without ever having to visit an ATM or bank location. It’s difficult to fathom living without these advantages because this is so incredibly convenient. This has, however, also piqued the attention of thieves in smartphones.

SO WHAT? SMARTPHONES HAVE PASSWORDS AND BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION

Maybe that’s what some of you are wondering. If a smartphone is password- or better yet, Face ID- or Touch ID-protected, how would it be feasible to access all of its apps? As it turns out, thieves have discovered workarounds for this, and I’m not even referring to sophisticated phone hacking exploits.

In one of Joanna Stern’s scenarios from the WSJ, a bunch of robbers pick a victim who isn’t paying attention to steal their phone. Before they do, though, one of the robbers stealthily films the victim secretly entering their password to open the phone. Armed robbers even ask the victim for the iPhone’s passcode in some nations, including Brazil, before snatching it.

And regrettably, Apple has eased up its security system to allow consumers to perform several tasks with simply the password for their iPhone or iPad. For instance, you may use your device’s PIN code to access the Settings app and reset your Apple ID password. This can assist someone who really lost their Apple ID password, but it also makes it easier for thieves to rapidly reset the password on a phone they’ve stolen.

And even if Touch ID or Face ID are activated, if you know the iPhone passcode you can still bypass these security authentication techniques with ease. This is because iOS uses your passcode as a backup when it cannot read your biometrics. This implies that anyone who knows your password may access Apple Pay, financial applications, secret notes, and chat apps.

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?

There is no quick fix for this. As I previously stated, there isn’t much you can do if someone forcibly pushes you to give them your password or captures a video of it from a distance.

Apple can (and should) take a few steps, though, to make it harder for criminals to get away with their crimes and to give victims more time to figure out how to secure their stolen phones and bank accounts. For instance, Samsung enables customers to establish a secured folder containing particular programmes that is only accessible when the phone is connected to the user’s Wi-Fi network.

Users may camouflage bank apps on Samsung phones by giving them alternate names and symbols. While it doesn’t stop others from getting access to them, it can complicate things. You might have enough time to phone your bank and request that they lock your account.

Therefore, Apple should eliminate the capability to change the Apple ID password using only the passcode on an iPhone or iPad as a first step. For a business that purports to care about privacy and security, this is really concerning. Most people use weak passwords for their devices, and Apple itself offers a 6-number PIN as the default option for iOS.

Recently, the Brazilian digital bank Nubank debuted a function known as “Street Mode.” When this mode is on, the app blocks some transactions based on the user’s location and Wi-Fi network name. As a result, if the phone was taken off the street, criminals cannot transfer substantial sums of money. even when they already know the victim’s password.

Apple may integrate a native API into the platform so that each app can have limited functionality depending on the device’s location. Moreover, Apple should make it necessary for consumers to provide a password other than their iPhone passcode in order to modify these settings.

HOW YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR IPHONE FOR NOW

Apple promised to “continue to develop the measures to help keep user accounts secure” in the study. Even if the firm has not yet released any new anti-theft security measures for iPhone, there are still certain precautions you may take:

• Do not type your password in public; instead, use Face ID or Touch ID.
• If you must enter your passcode in front of others, hide your iPhone’s display.
• Choose a more robust password.
• Keep your bank credentials out of password managers and notepad.
• Change your PIN code and enable Privacy Constraints under Screen Time.

What, in your opinion, can Apple do to enhance the security of iOS? Have you ever encountered something similar? Comment below with your thoughts and let us know.