Law Enforcement Breaches iOS Security Feature, Raising Data Privacy Concerns
A report from 404 Media indicates that Magnet Forensics, the company behind the GrayKey device used by law enforcement, has developed a new method to bypass a key iOS security feature called Inactivity Reboot. This feature automatically restarts an iPhone if it hasn't been unlocked in 72 hours, placing it into a more secure 'Before First Unlock' (BFU) state where sensitive data is more strongly encrypted. Magnet Forensics claims its new device, GrayKey Preserve, can freeze an iPhone in the less secure 'After First Unlock' (AFU) mode, even after a restart, allowing easier access to the device's data. Furthermore, GrayKey Preserve and an associated 'Evidence Preservation Mode' for the regular GrayKey can recover data that iOS would normally purge, such as location data, iMessages, and deleted images, for an 'infinite amount of time.' This exploit has reportedly been active since at least early 2025.
