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NASA SpaceX Crew enters iPad pin in plain view of camera

28 points by sschueller 6y ago

Waterluvian 6y ago
It feels bizarre that a device playing a role in space travel has a password. But I guess a lot of Space-X stuff surprises me that way. It’s a very consumer focused spaceflight system.
- whoopdedo 6y ago
  How do you do Face ID with a helmet visor? How do you do Touch ID with gloves? You can't leave it unlocked because the device needs to be encrypted. A pass phrase would be more secure but when you're a 400km away from the nearest threat actor there's nothing wrong with a short PIN that is set randomly prior to the mission and cleared immediately on return. Now, maybe if iOS supported using a USB or Bluetooth key to unlock the device.
  - joubert 6y ago
    > You can't leave it unlocked because the device needs to be encrypted. A pass phrase would be more secure but when you're a 400km away from the nearest threat actor there's nothing wrong with a short PIN Why have it (PIN or password) at all?
    - aeternum 6y ago
      It's an iOS requirement. They would have to get Apple to build them a custom version of iOS, or root it themselves. Neither of which is very maintainable. Probably easier to just use the PIN.
      - ladberg 6y ago
        It’s not an iOS requirement (but possibly it makes you make one to start out, I’m not sure).
  - messe 6y ago
    > How do you do Face ID with a helmet visor? How do you do Touch ID with gloves? You can't leave it unlocked because the device needs to be encrypted Does it? There's a lot more mission critical devices and computers involved in launching and piloting that ship onboard. Are they all encrypted? Every microcontroller? A verified chain of possession for everything going on to the ship seems as if it would be necessary, iPad included. And if that is the case, then is encryption truly a necessity? Keeping in mind that a passphrase was just entered mid livestream. I'm not saying that encryption doesn't help, and that it shouldn't be encrypted. But I think that "needs to be encrypted" is a little strong. That said, I'm really looking forward to hearing from people arguing against me. Having been working from home since March, with only the occasional social contact, I'd love a good debate right now.
- Lammy 6y ago
  It's probably just joined to an Exchange email server or something that similarly requires a PIN to be set.
sschueller 6y ago
Can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpedeZopDSo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpedeZopDSo (About 40 min in, can't link directly in a live stream). Not sure how much of a problem this is but if there is sensitive information on it, it should probably also not be used in view of a camera.
glandium 6y ago
Now you need to hop on a rocket to go steal the iPad to make use of that password.
gogo2084 6y ago
Somebody should build a service that blurs the entered pin on live stream so we can have posts like this a thing of the past.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
caiobegotti 6y ago
I got curious about it and it seems the PIN is 06530, which according to https://www.tutorialspoint.com/letter-combinations-of-a-phon.. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/letter-combinations-of-a-phon.... can be these combinations, which to my dismay are not very meaningful: ['mjd', 'mje', 'mjf', 'mkd', 'mke', 'mkf', 'mld', 'mle', 'mlf', 'njd', 'nje', 'njf', 'nkd', 'nke', 'nkf', 'nld', 'nle', 'nlf', 'ojd', 'oje', 'ojf', 'okd', 'oke', 'okf', 'old', 'ole', 'olf'] EDIT: I thought iOS PINs should be six digit?
- sschueller 6y ago
  It's 4 digits, he has to hit 5 twice as it doesn't register the first time through his glove.
  - caiobegotti 6y ago
    That's not what I see in the replay of the shot but okay...
    - calciphus 6y ago
      Another comment pointed out 0530 is May 30 - launch date of the mission.
- TMWNN 6y ago
  >EDIT: I thought iOS PINs should be six digit? It used to be four digits. The default changed to six, but there is an option to use four.
joesb 6y ago
And that's a problem because?
supernova87a 6y ago
The question is, is the iPad set to erase all content if the code is entered wrong 10 times?
- canada_dry 6y ago
  Or, if it gets disabled for 25 million minutes could it be reset by sending it through a black hole?? /s
benplant 6y ago
0530 = May 30 = launch day
kerng 6y ago
That's why device PINs are good - pretty useless without the device.

28 points by sschueller 6y ago

It feels bizarre that a device playing a role in space travel has a password. But I guess a lot of Space-X stuff surprises me that way. It’s a very consumer focused spaceflight system.

whoopdedo 6y ago
How do you do Face ID with a helmet visor? How do you do Touch ID with gloves? You can't leave it unlocked because the device needs to be encrypted. A pass phrase would be more secure but when you're a 400km away from the nearest threat actor there's nothing wrong with a short PIN that is set randomly prior to the mission and cleared immediately on return. Now, maybe if iOS supported using a USB or Bluetooth key to unlock the device.
- joubert 6y ago
  > You can't leave it unlocked because the device needs to be encrypted. A pass phrase would be more secure but when you're a 400km away from the nearest threat actor there's nothing wrong with a short PIN Why have it (PIN or password) at all?
  - aeternum 6y ago
    It's an iOS requirement. They would have to get Apple to build them a custom version of iOS, or root it themselves. Neither of which is very maintainable. Probably easier to just use the PIN.
    - ladberg 6y ago
      It’s not an iOS requirement (but possibly it makes you make one to start out, I’m not sure).
- messe 6y ago
  > How do you do Face ID with a helmet visor? How do you do Touch ID with gloves? You can't leave it unlocked because the device needs to be encrypted Does it? There's a lot more mission critical devices and computers involved in launching and piloting that ship onboard. Are they all encrypted? Every microcontroller? A verified chain of possession for everything going on to the ship seems as if it would be necessary, iPad included. And if that is the case, then is encryption truly a necessity? Keeping in mind that a passphrase was just entered mid livestream. I'm not saying that encryption doesn't help, and that it shouldn't be encrypted. But I think that "needs to be encrypted" is a little strong. That said, I'm really looking forward to hearing from people arguing against me. Having been working from home since March, with only the occasional social contact, I'd love a good debate right now.
Lammy 6y ago
It's probably just joined to an Exchange email server or something that similarly requires a PIN to be set.

sschueller 6y ago

Can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpedeZopDSo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpedeZopDSo (About 40 min in, can't link directly in a live stream). Not sure how much of a problem this is but if there is sensitive information on it, it should probably also not be used in view of a camera.

glandium 6y ago

Now you need to hop on a rocket to go steal the iPad to make use of that password.

gogo2084 6y ago

Somebody should build a service that blurs the entered pin on live stream so we can have posts like this a thing of the past.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

caiobegotti 6y ago

I got curious about it and it seems the PIN is 06530, which according to https://www.tutorialspoint.com/letter-combinations-of-a-phon.. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/letter-combinations-of-a-phon.... can be these combinations, which to my dismay are not very meaningful: ['mjd', 'mje', 'mjf', 'mkd', 'mke', 'mkf', 'mld', 'mle', 'mlf', 'njd', 'nje', 'njf', 'nkd', 'nke', 'nkf', 'nld', 'nle', 'nlf', 'ojd', 'oje', 'ojf', 'okd', 'oke', 'okf', 'old', 'ole', 'olf'] EDIT: I thought iOS PINs should be six digit?

sschueller 6y ago
It's 4 digits, he has to hit 5 twice as it doesn't register the first time through his glove.
- caiobegotti 6y ago
  That's not what I see in the replay of the shot but okay...
  - calciphus 6y ago
    Another comment pointed out 0530 is May 30 - launch date of the mission.
TMWNN 6y ago
>EDIT: I thought iOS PINs should be six digit? It used to be four digits. The default changed to six, but there is an option to use four.

joesb 6y ago

And that's a problem because?

supernova87a 6y ago

The question is, is the iPad set to erase all content if the code is entered wrong 10 times?

canada_dry 6y ago
Or, if it gets disabled for 25 million minutes could it be reset by sending it through a black hole?? /s

benplant 6y ago

0530 = May 30 = launch day

kerng 6y ago

That's why device PINs are good - pretty useless without the device.