It’s been a tough week for Apple’s mobile division. Earlier in the week the company released iOS 6.1.1 to squash some major bugs that stopped iPhone 4S owners from making calls or connecting to 3G. Today, a video on YouTube showed how the lock screen on iPhone 5’s running iOS 6.1 could be bypassed by some quick button presses.
The instructions are a bit confusing but there’s an accompanying video that shows how to do it. The “hack” is basically the same hack that was discovered when the iOS 4.1 lock screen was bypassed by entering a key combination. To get around the lock screen with an iPhone 5 running iOS 6.1, users can access the emergency dialer, hold the power button and tap cancel. Sleep the screen and wake it. Then hold the power button again and press the “Emergency Call” button before the red slider shows up. Without releasing the power button, tap the home button.
This vulnerability lets someone get to your contacts list, call log, and dialer. While we couldn’t replicate this hack with our iPhone 4S and iPhone 5, this is a pretty serious bug that should catch Apple’s attention.
UPDATE: Apple has given a statement to AllThingsD saying, “Apple takes user security very seriously. We are aware of this issue, and will deliver a fix in a future software update.”
Source: YouTube (videosdebarraquito)
