You risk losing your images, bank information, and other information if you type a passcode on your iPhone while it is visible to others. There has been an increase in iPhone thefts that take place in bars, and some of the victims have had their Apple accounts frozen. It’s almost as horrible to lose control of an Apple account as to misplace your phone.It may also entail losing access to years’ worth of private information, including priceless photographs.
A brief about this iPhone feature can be misused by thieves to lock you out of your Apple account
Even if the owner has enabled Face ID or Touch ID, a stolen iPhone’s passcode can be used to reset the Apple ID password. The Find My iPhone function can be turned off by a criminal with access to the Apple ID, making it more difficult for the owner to locate or delete their stolen smartphone.A recovery key, a 28-character code created at random and required to reclaim access to an Apple ID after it has been enabled, can also be set or reset using the stolen iPhone by the burglar. Access to private information, including financial information, is also possible with this recovery key.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Greg Frasca has been unable to log into his Apple account since October since his iPhone 14 Pro was stolen from a Chicago bar. The burglars changed the password for his Apple ID using his passcode, and they also activated a security feature known as the “recovery key,” which has blocked him from logging into his account. He no longer has access to the eight years’ worth of pictures of his girls that were kept on his account as a result.
According to Frasca, who spoke with the publication, he would fly from Florida to California to personally establish his identification in order to recover access to his account or would write a cheque for $10,000 to do so. However, because regaining access to an Apple ID requires entering a 28-character code that is created at random, the recovery key setting has made it all but impossible for him to do so.
In order to make it difficult for the legitimate owner of a stolen iPhone to regain access to their account and personal data, thieves frequently enable the recovery key setting.
Apple issued a statement in response to the allegations stating that it is “always investigating additional protections against emerging threats like this one.”
An Apple spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal, “We sympathise with people who have had this experience and we take all attacks on our users very seriously, no matter how uncommon.” “We work incredibly hard every day to safeguard the accounts and data of our users, and we’re constantly looking into new defences against emerging threats like this one.”
Additionally, it is advised to choose an alphanumeric passcode rather than a four-digit one because it is more challenging for criminals to decipher. Under Face ID & Passcode, Change Passcode, in the Settings app, you can modify your passphrase.
