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Apple boasts great device security, I refuse to believe that in 2023 it isn't enough to just wipe the storage encryption key. Device will still be usable and cu
by thefz 3y ago
Apple boasts great device security, I refuse to believe that in 2023 it isn't enough to just wipe the storage encryption key. Device will still be usable and customer data protected. Oh well, the problem would be even less severe if these devices had removable storage. This is yet another anti consumer and anti environment greedy move from a company that markets lock-in practices as features.
- nicolas_17 3y agoIf you're okay with your stolen device being reused as long as they can't access your data, you can do that, click the "Erase" button on the Find My app.
- thefz 3y agoAnd for the cases treated in the article, where there's no person to erase such data in the first place? Rare earth paperweights?
- t-writescode 3y agoProcess should be improved at those companies and/or the recycling firms should refuse Apple products that are still activation locked. It will slow down process; but, it is an appropriate route. As for dead people, a death certificate + 40 days (or a longer waiting period) should be sufficient, imo.
- nicolas_17 3y agoFor dead people there's this whole system: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212360 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212360 + https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208510 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208510
- yreg 3y agoThe security is also in the fact that the stolen devices are almost worthless becoming well known.
- thefz 3y agoYeah, the security of their profit.
- theshrike79 3y agoNo, security on the fact that when thieves break into my office, they leave the Apple computers because they know they are just dead weight with zero resale value. They grab all of the other hardware though, the ones with no protections.
- thefz 3y agoI'm having a hard time believing that these measures are by any means preventing theft. The scene with a thief going "oh no, it's an Apple device! I am not gonna steal it" is almost comical. Devices will be stolen anyway and scrapped/dropped instead. PSA: Enable Bitlocker and LUKS on your devices, folks. Your device is 100% going to be targeted now.
- nicolas_17 3y agoAnd then you find the place the thief dropped it at, via Find My?
- theshrike79 3y agoI have second-hand knowledge of a situation where a friend's office was broken into, the thieves left all Apple computers but grabbed monitors and PCs. The thieves weren't random crackheads breaking in on a whim though, they specifically knew what the expensive stuff looked like (colour calibrated displays, drawing tablets) and left the cheap and impossible to resell stuff alone.
- nicce 3y agoJust to make devices less desirebale for thieves. And it is quite valid point.
- thefz 3y agoAnd is this preventing theft in what measure? Data at hand?
- t-writescode 3y agoI'm having trouble parsing what you mean here. Could you elaborate further or use different words? Thanks!
- thefz 3y agoDoes any data exists that can prove such countermeasure is lowering the rate of theft for Apple devices only, or is it just speculation?
- t-writescode 3y agoYes: https://www.zdnet.com/article/fcc-report-apple-iphone-activation-lock-significantly-reducing-theft-rates/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/fcc-report-apple-iphone-activa...
- nneonneo 3y agoLots of data. Police departments in San Francisco, New York and London saw pronounced drops in iPhone theft rates shortly after Activation Lock was introduced. https://archive.nytimes.com/bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/antitheft-technology-led-to-a-dip-in-iphone-thefts-in-some-cities-police-say/ https://archive.nytimes.com/bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/1... Thieves have taken to threatening the people they stole from because they simply aren’t able to bypass the activation lock: https://appleinsider.com/inside/iphone/tips/do-not-remove-icloud-lock-from-a-stolen-iphone-because-a-thief-asks-you-to/ https://appleinsider.com/inside/iphone/tips/do-not-remove-ic... While a device could be scrapped and sold for parts, many components in the iPhone authenticate with each other, which makes it even more challenging to usefully sell the parts. The same authentication has been criticized as obstructing legitimate device repairs, although Apple has been (dragged into) better supporting self-service repairs more recently.
- Nifty3929 3y agoI think the point is not (just) data protection, but also to discourage theft by making them useless if stolen. Apple is doing the right thing here. This might be avoided if our justice system was willing and able to go after these thieves, despite their relatively low-value crimes.