iCLOUD LOCKED

So many people contact us with a locked Apple device. Either they set up the pin iCloud or firmware lock. That great if you wrote it down or used password software keeper.

However, over half of you will not remember this password when you need it most. This can be a different password or pin you use to daily access your iPad, iPhone, or Mac.

Security is a great thing when it does not keep you out also. Apples 🍎 got it right it is so sure that when my house was robbed they left the iPad on the table. Why didn’t he take it?

iCloud can be accessed from any device including a Windows device. It’s similar to a Microsoft account but with more abilities. You can track the device and do a remote wipe. The thief doesn’t care about these features. He will just make sure the device is off. This also works with other devices as well.

So, why didn’t he take the iPad? Well, it’s not easy for them to wipe and do a factory reset so they can sell it. However, my laptop was very easy to sell because all it needed was a new hard drive and fresh installation of Window OS.

Can’t you do the same for Apple products? Not unless you are an Apple Authorized dealer. The board is digitally locked to the iCloud account. All this security should keep Apple products safe from thieves right? Well yes, and no because the iPhone allows for a 4-digit pin with 10,000 possible combinations. Sounds like a lot right? Wrong, a good Hacker can access the iPhone in a matter of hours. Sure there are wait times after a few wrong tries but a restart bypass that restriction.

Now Ipads have 6 digits pins giving them one million possible combinations. Now that’s probably enough to keep bad actors (hackers) out right? Think again with the right software an expert can breach the code in also a few hours.

The fact is most thieves don’t have the know-how and expertise to unlock an iPhone or IPad. So why not just bring the device to the Apple store? Well, that would be a solution if the device’s owner wasn’t attached to the iCloud account. They would still need your permission to reset the device. Microsoft isn’t available for these services in person. However, if you can hack the Microsoft account you’re golden ✨️.

Okay, thieves blindly believe that Apple devices are not worth all the trouble. However, the prize still tempts some. Especially iPhones, because of the easier crack of 4-digit pins.

Back on topic, what if your Apple device is locked and you forgot the password or pin? Not many of us technology guys go through the work to become Apple certified. Unless you have a large client with many Apple devices in the office it’s not worth our time. It’s not an easy thing to achieve either.

Why do we avoid Apple devices as technology consultants? It’s simply because they are locked down and don’t offer the same scale of service as other operating systems (OS). If I want that kind of security for my devices or my clients I will be the one to decide how’s locked. Apple 🍎 has too much control over their’s devices. It is more like renting than owning them .

Take Windows devices, it’s your choice how you want to secure it. Unless it’s on a Domain you can access without a pin or password. Who cares if your family can turn on your computer and go straight to searching youtube for funny cat 🐈 videos? Do you need your hard drive encrypted because it has secret government documents on it? Most likely not and probably never will. Stop thinking you will be the next one hacked and buying Apple products because you are tricked into thinking they are more secure. Security at what price?

Apple has you by the b@lls because you have to go to them if you forget your password. Sounds a little like big brother to me. What you don’t think so? Go to your iPhone setting and try to turn off the privacy settings. In November, 2022, security researchers from the software company Mysk took a look at the data iPhones send back to Apple. They found that the company collects analytics data on your use of the device even when you turn off the iPhone Analytics privacy setting.Jan 31, 2023. https://gizmodo.com/apple-iphone-ipad-privacy-problems-data-gathering-1849855092#:~:text=In%20November%2C%202022%2C%20security%20researchers,the%20iPhone%20Analytics%20privacy%20setting.

Open you iPhone settings, and then go to Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations. Here, you’ll find a record of your recent travel activity, as well as places you frequently go, like your home and work addresses.

If you are ready to go incognito you’ll need to ditch the iPhone. Most likely you’d rather keep what you have and deal with the privacy issues. Unless you are Mr. Robot 🤖 you probably don’t need that kind of privacy, do you? You are used to how the iPhone works and you use Siri daily. She will never tell anyone what you ask her right?

The newer technology we use has built-in security compromises and privacy policy issues. Soon your phones will have AI built-in into them. Not just a GPT chatbot but real AI. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Your iPhone will finally be able to tell you that your wrong like a real wife/husband. You will be able to have a discussion that will be stored in iCloud. Not that this isn’t already happening but in a one-way recording. We have Google to thank for that feature. It’s possible to turn it off but as soon as you use the voice search feature it turns itself back on.

In reality, it’s next to impossible to truly be incognito. Unless you dump all your electronics in a dumpster. Move into the woods somewhere that’s nowhere. Don’t drive that new car with GPS to get there. Avoid all the traffic cameras 📷 and maybe you’ll be truly free of tracking devices. 1984 is already here! The governments have satellites that can zoom in on your bedroom window 🪟. Scary to think if you say boom 💥 along with two other words you get added to a watch list. I’m sure I’m on one and had the gov look into my file. As I write this blog the news is reporting another spy balloon was seen over Canada. What is it spying on? USA? Is the Chinese government playing a game? Why would they need to make us look up in the clouds? They own the cloud and store everything about us there. Is it to market to us? Well, all business reports to the Chinese people’s republic. Don’t think for a minute they don’t use this information to spy on Americans.

You will have to read my next blog to find out how real privacy can be attained without giving up your technology.