Apple's iOS 6.1.3 Will Fix Lock Screen Security Flaw

News
By Kevin Parrish
published

Apple has supposedly released iOS 6.1.3 to developers.

9to5Mac reports that Apple has released iOS v6.1.3 beta 2 to developers that addresses the current lock screen security flaw. The news arrives after Apple released iOS v6.1.2 over the air earlier this week which supposedly fixes the Microsoft Exchange and battery drainage problems.

This latest beta release follows beta 1 which was previously named as v6.1.1 beta 1. Apple reportedly changed the current name due to the public releases of v6.1.1 and v6.1.2. Apple's iOS v6.1.1 was unleashed on iPhone 4S owners weeks ago to address 3G connectivity issues specific to that model. Until now, the only problem Apple hadn't addressed related to the original v6.1 release was the lock screen security flaw.

As one report stated last week, iOS 6.1 "hasn't been Apple's finest hour." In just 36 hours after its debut at the end of January, the update had been downloaded and installed by 21.8-percent of Apple's iOS users – 11.3-percent upgraded within the first 24 hours. But shortly thereafter reports of overheating batteries, 3G connectivity issues, and Microsoft Exchange issues began to emerge. There were also reports that anyone could gain access to a locked iOS 6.1 device by merely using a sequence of physical and virtual button presses.

One of the ways to bypass the lock screen is to lock the device, slide to unlock, and then tap emergency call. After that, anyone can go through a series of steps that include calling 911, locking the device with the sleep button, and tapping the emergency button again (this is the short edited version of the sequence that's listed here). The call app will go nuts and open, granting anyone access to photos and contacts as long as the sleep button is pressed.

This isn't the first time Apple has broken the screen lock security. A similar bug was found in iOS 4.1 which was fixed in the v4.2 update a month later. The current bug is now supposedly fixed in v6.1.3, but when that comes out is anyone's guess at this point. Also slated in the update are several enhancements to the Maps application for Japan, and possible plugs for exploits used in recent jailbreaks.

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Kevin Parrish
17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • nekromobo
    this is not the innovation you are looking for..
    Reply
  • steve360
    Seeing frequent updates to fix annoying bugs and other stuff in recent times. What's the matter Apple?
    Reply
  • mayankleoboy1
    THIS IS BY DESIGN. Repeat after me "THIS IS BY DESIGN".
    Chorus :"Yes Leader"
    Reply
  • bigpinkdragon286
    Apple had trouble in the past with their daylight saving time bug reappearing, now a reappearing lock screen bug? Can't get your code base sorted out and reuse pre-patched code, or just a lack of quality control before releasing?
    Reply
  • maddad
    Oh my! I guess Apple is the only one that has security problems. How many updates to "Windows 8" already to fix security problems? Google fixes security problems in Android with each new release too. Of course the problem with Android is your phone manufacturer won't give you the update if you have an older phone so you are stuck unless you upgrade! Just had a big problem with Java and the first update Oracle pushed out didn't fix the problem. Hackers will find security holes, it is going to happen reguardless of what OS you are using.
    Reply
  • Apple has had the heyday of "it just works" and now users are experiencing doses of "oh wait it doesn't" in multiple ways. Not saying everyone else has done the job perfectly but the surety of Apple devices is evaporating.
    Reply
  • damianrobertjones
    maddadOh my! I guess Apple is the only one that has security problems. How many updates to "Windows 8" already to fix security problems? Google fixes security problems in Android with each new release too. Of course the problem with Android is your phone manufacturer won't give you the update if you have an older phone so you are stuck unless you upgrade! Just had a big problem with Java and the first update Oracle pushed out didn't fix the problem. Hackers will find security holes, it is going to happen reguardless of what OS you are using.
    As above... please don't even TRY to defend Apple. You don't see MS spouting 'we're perfect' every other second. Magical, it just works, revolutionary... my arse.
    Reply
  • bigpinkdragon286
    maddad... I guess Apple is the only one that has security problems. How many updates to "Windows 8" already to fix security problems? ...Complex code written by humans is prone to contain vulnerabilities at some level. I would rather have the patches from Microsoft, as they tend to be better quality controlled, and at least the company is reasonably straight-forward about security. Patches show an ongoing support system within a company for their product. How many years old is Windows XP, and yet, it still receives occasional patches. Does the original iPhone or even iPhone 3G get updates anymore, despite being similar in age to Vista? Have you ever heard of an individual gaining unauthorized access to a Windows machine by performing the right sequence of events, without external means? Personally, I find it absurd such a security failure is even possible.

    Attitude goes a long way. It wasn't all that long ago that Apple was allowing drive-by downloads to infect Windows machines through their software updater. They didn't seem very eager to issue a fix for that at the time. Has Apple's attitude really changed a whole lot since then?
    Reply
  • house70
    maddadOh my! I guess Apple is the only one that has security problems. How many updates to "Windows 8" already to fix security problems? Google fixes security problems in Android with each new release too. Of course the problem with Android is your phone manufacturer won't give you the update if you have an older phone so you are stuck unless you upgrade! Just had a big problem with Java and the first update Oracle pushed out didn't fix the problem. Hackers will find security holes, it is going to happen reguardless of what OS you are using.Obviously, you don't understand how Android OS is released. There is first a AOSP version, released by Google. That gets taken (for free) by manufacturers and morphed into an entirely different OS, that is only "Android-based". Whatever the manufacturer puts out is not the Android that Google put out, but a mix of AOSP code and their own proprietary code, some of which gets released under GPL terms (kernel), some of which remains private (skin integration, drivers, etc.).
    The Nexus line is the closest to AOSP as you can get, but is not ONLY that, either.

    If you know how to use Google you can fins a video made by the xda-developer Azrienoch where he explains this at length. I believe the video is called "debunking 5 myths of Android" or something like that.
    Reply
  • weakerthans4
    You're programming it wrong...
    Reply