If in a bolt of excitement you have already made the switch to iOS 9, then wish you never lose your iPhone. Contemplating why? Well, if you thought locking the screen was the first line of defence in case of a phone theft, then thanks to a flaw in the iOS 9, anyone with an access to Google, (Dah!) can learn how to get through the lock-screen.
In a detailed video posted (and tweeted) by Jose Rodriguez, anybody and everybody can learn how to crack the lock screen code. What is more worse is that the bug has passed unnoticed and remains intact in the iOS 9 update.
The flaw is supposedly due to Siri being available on the lock screen by default and iOS 9.0.1, using a method that takes advantage of Apple enabling its personal assistant Siri on the lock screen by default.
The blame can’t entirely be thrusted upon Siri as the engineers at Apple have failed to notice the flaw even while fixing other issues related to iOS 9.
The new six-character lockscreen may look to be a tighter security code with a cap on number of gussess at a time, enough to safeguard your personal files, contacts etc. But, with Siri on the lock screen, getting access to your personal data could be just a fingertip away.
So, if you doubt your short term memory and feel you have the habit of misplacing your phone, then the only way to protect your phone is to disable Siri on the lock screen. Once Siri is disabled, you can breathe a sigh of relief.
Android users had to contend with a similar lock screen bypass bug that was discovered on Android Lollipop. Thankfully the bug was fixed and now it seems to have bitten iOS 9. Though the Lollipop flaw was worse than that of iOS 9, the lock screen bypass on the latter is far more easier to crack.
Not only are there issues with the lock screen, but a whole array of close to 4000 apps infected with malware on the App Store.
It’s unheard of for any OS to be perfect from the day of its launch. Until a few more weeks pass by, and bugs are discovered and terminated, iOS 9 won’t be a flawless masterpiece crafted in the confines of Apple.
