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Why would someone not set up activation lock? This is exactly what it is for! > An attacker could “prank” someone by wiping their MacBook, activating it with

Why would someone not set up activation lock? This is exactly what it is for! > An attacker could “prank” someone by wiping their MacBook, activating it with their own Apple ID, and then reporting it as lost. The victim then has no way to recover it. When you lose physical control of a device, there's an even bigger denial-of-service vulnerability: https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/breaking-a-laptop-computer-with-hammer-picture-id646884838 https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/breaking-a-laptop-compu... There is really no solving denial-of-service problems associated with losing a device. The priority in that case should be preventing unwanted disclosure of data, which is exactly what Apple did here.

pwim 3y ago
I didn't set up "Find My". The connection with the Activation Lock wasn't obvious to me. The main thing Apple emphasizes is that you can recover a missing device. But it wasn't obvious to me how that would work without an internet connection (unlike with an iPhone where I have a data plan). Protecting unwanted disclosure of data is different than preventing the erasing of a device, which is where I'm stuck.
- junofan 3y ago
  > But it wasn't obvious to me how that would work without an internet connection I believe Bluetooth pinging the iPhones of passersby.
- kube-system 3y ago
  That's true, as I recall the explanation is pretty brief during setup and they should probably explain it better.
  - andrewstuart2 3y ago
    That's an interesting fight between minimalist designers/product people and a good security team wanting to make things crystal clear. Especially at a company like Apple that really strives to prioritize both. I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.
    - kube-system 3y ago
      I think it would be pretty clear even if they just add one sentence: > Find My includes Activation Lock — a feature that's designed to prevent anyone else from using your device if it's ever lost or stolen.
- adastra22 3y ago
  Yeah, I'm a lifelong user of apple products and I had no idea until your article that "Find My" was an activation lock. I thought it just reported your location to Apple, and so I turned it off for privacy reasons...
wannacboatmovie 3y ago
The better question is why would someone buy a computer that is so user-hostile it requires "activation"? Imagine buying a car that requires activation from the manufacturer, and they could permanently disable it at any time if someone stole it. This place would be in hysterics, but since we're talking about HN's favorite computer company it's a different story.
- kube-system 3y ago
  Because I want my laptop to be hostile any potential users other than me, the owner. Many other devices can be wiped and put back into service with physical access alone. This is a vulnerability because it makes the device valuable to thieves. > Imagine buying a car that requires activation from the manufacturer, and they could permanently disable it at any time if someone stole it. This has been standard on GM vehicles for decades. https://experience.gm.com/support/onstar-connected-services/safety-security-features/stolen-vehicle-assistance https://experience.gm.com/support/onstar-connected-services/...
  - wannacboatmovie 3y ago
    I knew someone would mention OnStar. OnStar's anti-theft feature requires it to be initiated by the police. Not some rando who stole it and signed in with his own Apple ID... It is a premium service that requires you pay a monthly fee. Nor does it permanently brick it; it can be unlocked by any dealer, or more likely once the police recover the car. In fact you could probably just remove the OnStar box and the car would be drivable.... it's designed to stop a theft in progress. Most importantly, if you don't pay for the service it does nothing at all. Basically the opposite of everything that went wrong in this article.
    - avh02 3y ago
      > Most importantly, if you don't pay for the service it does nothing at all. Until someone gets in to onstar's systems and activates this for every device at once.
    - 3y ago

pwim 3y ago

I didn't set up "Find My". The connection with the Activation Lock wasn't obvious to me. The main thing Apple emphasizes is that you can recover a missing device. But it wasn't obvious to me how that would work without an internet connection (unlike with an iPhone where I have a data plan). Protecting unwanted disclosure of data is different than preventing the erasing of a device, which is where I'm stuck.

junofan 3y ago
> But it wasn't obvious to me how that would work without an internet connection I believe Bluetooth pinging the iPhones of passersby.
kube-system 3y ago
That's true, as I recall the explanation is pretty brief during setup and they should probably explain it better.
- andrewstuart2 3y ago
  That's an interesting fight between minimalist designers/product people and a good security team wanting to make things crystal clear. Especially at a company like Apple that really strives to prioritize both. I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.
  - kube-system 3y ago
    I think it would be pretty clear even if they just add one sentence: > Find My includes Activation Lock — a feature that's designed to prevent anyone else from using your device if it's ever lost or stolen.
adastra22 3y ago
Yeah, I'm a lifelong user of apple products and I had no idea until your article that "Find My" was an activation lock. I thought it just reported your location to Apple, and so I turned it off for privacy reasons...

wannacboatmovie 3y ago

The better question is why would someone buy a computer that is so user-hostile it requires "activation"? Imagine buying a car that requires activation from the manufacturer, and they could permanently disable it at any time if someone stole it. This place would be in hysterics, but since we're talking about HN's favorite computer company it's a different story.

kube-system 3y ago
Because I want my laptop to be hostile any potential users other than me, the owner. Many other devices can be wiped and put back into service with physical access alone. This is a vulnerability because it makes the device valuable to thieves. > Imagine buying a car that requires activation from the manufacturer, and they could permanently disable it at any time if someone stole it. This has been standard on GM vehicles for decades. https://experience.gm.com/support/onstar-connected-services/safety-security-features/stolen-vehicle-assistance https://experience.gm.com/support/onstar-connected-services/...
- wannacboatmovie 3y ago
  I knew someone would mention OnStar. OnStar's anti-theft feature requires it to be initiated by the police. Not some rando who stole it and signed in with his own Apple ID... It is a premium service that requires you pay a monthly fee. Nor does it permanently brick it; it can be unlocked by any dealer, or more likely once the police recover the car. In fact you could probably just remove the OnStar box and the car would be drivable.... it's designed to stop a theft in progress. Most importantly, if you don't pay for the service it does nothing at all. Basically the opposite of everything that went wrong in this article.
  - avh02 3y ago
    > Most importantly, if you don't pay for the service it does nothing at all. Until someone gets in to onstar's systems and activates this for every device at once.
  - 3y ago