Phone-hacking firm claims tool can freeze iPhones to bypass Apple's security reboot feature

A phone-hacking company says it can freeze iPhones mid-state, stopping Apple's auto-reboot security feature from locking out law enforcement.

Apple introduced an automatic reboot feature in iPhones designed to lock down a device after it sits unused — forcing it into a harder-to-crack state that makes forensic data extraction significantly more difficult. A company that manufactures phone-hacking tools used by law enforcement claims it has now found a way around that safeguard, according to a training video obtained by 404 Media. The tool reportedly works by freezing an iPhone in its current state before the automatic reboot can trigger. By holding the device in that suspended condition, investigators can theoretically keep it in a more accessible mode — one where certain data is easier to extract than it would be after a fresh reboot locks the phone down with stronger encryption. The training video, described as intended for law enforcement personnel, demonstrates the technique in action. The company behind it has not been publicly named in available reporting, but firms in this sector — sometimes called phone-cracking or mobile device forensics companies — routinely market their products exclusively to government and police agencies. The development puts pressure back on Apple, which introduced the auto-reboot feature specifically to close gaps that digital forensics tools had been exploiting. It is the latest chapter in a long-running technical arms race between Apple's security engineers and third-party firms paid to break into locked devices.

Why it matters

The ability to bypass iPhone security features affects the privacy of anyone whose phone is seized by law enforcement, well beyond criminal suspects. It also signals that Apple's recent security hardening measures have been countered faster than the company may have anticipated.

What's next

It is worth watching whether Apple responds with a software update that closes the vulnerability the freezing technique exploits, as it has done in past rounds of this security battle.

Key facts

• A phone-hacking company claims its tool can freeze an iPhone before Apple's automatic reboot security feature activates
• Apple's auto-reboot feature was designed to move a phone into a harder-to-decrypt state after a period of inactivity
• A training video demonstrating the technique was obtained by investigative outlet 404 Media
• The video appears intended for law enforcement personnel, consistent with how mobile forensics firms market their products
• Keeping a phone in its pre-reboot state gives investigators access to data that becomes encrypted and harder to extract after a reboot
• The development represents another round in an ongoing technical arms race between Apple security updates and forensics tool makers

Bias & framing notes

Both sources ultimately rely on a single underlying report from 404 Media, with Slashdot aggregating it and Engadget summarizing it. Neither independently verified the claims made in the training video. The framing in both sources is from a privacy/consumer concern angle; no statement from the tool's manufacturer or from law enforcement explaining or defending the technology's use is included in available reporting.

NewsClear — neutral news & congressional tracking · Bill of the Week