Has Siri left your iPhone 4S unlocked?

Graham Cluley
Graham Cluley
@
@[email protected]
@gcluley

Apple’s new “Siri” feature, the voice-activated personal assistant built into the iPhone 4S, leaves owners’ spanking new smartphones partially unguarded.

Those of us who work in the security arena have often banged on about the importance of securing your smartphone with a password or passcode to prevent unauthorised access.

Most mobile phone manufacturers have recognised that as so many people use their smartphones to manage their their diaries, their private communications, and their social lives, it’s good to have some form of security.

Which leaves Apple with some egg on its face regarding Siri.

Even if an iPhone 4S is locked with a passcode, a complete stranger can come up to your smartphone, press the button and give Siri a spoken command.

I borrowed a passcode-locked iPhone 4S from a colleague here at Sophos and, with his permission, was able to write an email, and send a text message. If I had wanted to I could have…

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

Found this article interesting? Follow Graham Cluley on Twitter or Mastodon to read more of the exclusive content we post.


Graham Cluley is a veteran of the cybersecurity industry, having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky, or drop him an email.

What do you think? Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.