A new code introduced in the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system could make it more difficult for both police and thieves to unlock iPhones.
404 Media reported Thursday that law enforcement officials were warning each other that cellphones being kept for forensic testing appeared to be restarting automatically. This was confirmed by security experts as well. After rebooting, these phones will be harder to unlock by password cracking tools.
Apple did not immediately respond to TechCrunch's request for comment.
This restart appears to occur if an iPhone with iOS 18.1 is not unlocked for a period of time. According to Chris Wade, founder of mobile analytics company Corellium, iPhones seem to restart on the fourth day of being locked.
Matthew Green, a cryptologist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, called it a “huge improvement in security” and “probably won't bother anyone.” However, the police may not agree.