VIDEO: How to steal passwords from a locked iPhone

German researchers say that they have found a way to steal passwords stored on a locked Apple iPhone in just six minutes.

And they can do it it without cracking the iPhone’s passcode.

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute Secure Information Technology (Fraunhofer SIT) say that the attack targets Apple’s password management system – known as the keychain.

Here’s a YouTube video where the German researchers demonstrate their attack in action:

The only hint of a consolation is that the attack can not be done remotely – the attackers need physical access to your iPhone to steal information.

But if the attacker only needs to have his hands on your iPhone for six minutes, how much of a comfort is this really? Don’t forget, it’s not unusual for people to lose their mobile phones or leave them…

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

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.