Apple just confirmed that it’ll prevent iPhone hackers from bypassing encryption by brute-forcing passwords via machines designed expressly to obtain access to locked handsets. Machines like the GrayKey were featured prominently in reports this past year, hook up to an iPhone via Lightning, and then unlock the device by using all possible PIN combinations until the correct one is discovered.
iOS 12 already addresses the hack by turning the USB connection into a charging-only mode if the iPhone hasn’t been unlocked in more than an hour. But the final iOS 12 release is months away. And hackers say they found a way to deal with it.
