Apple released its latest iOS 6.1.3 update on Tuesday to fix a security hole that allowed one to bypass the lock screen. Well, the update apparently could fix the issue but a similar bug was discovered in 6.1.3 shortly after its release that allows the lock screen to be bypassed in iPhone 4.
The vulnerability was pointed out by YouTube user videosdebarraquito, who posted a video depicting an entire bypass method using an iPhone 4. This was followed by a flood of other iOS users who confirmed the bug, which apparently allows users to skip over the lock pin to access some content.
Although the latest method is fairly easy to reproduce, it necessitates more than just software tricks and taps. Folks at The Next Web tried the method and confirmed that they managed to reproduce the bug. One has to eject the SIM tray at a certain moment while initiating a call via voice commands to glitch it fully. "We actually could only duplicate the behavior on one device that has Siri capability, an iPhone 4S, but not the iPhone 5 (yet). This means that the bug appears to be an iPhone 4 or 4S-only affair, but that could just be a lack of ability to time it correctly," TNW reports.
Once successfully bypassed, the attacker gains access to the contacts and Camera Roll and, like all of these bugs, it requires physical access to the device. "The contacts access is simple, as the bypass drops you out to the phone interface, and photos can be accessed through the 'assign new picture' dialog inside the contact creation process," the report said.
Meanwhile TNW revealed that the guys at iPhoneblog.de managed to successfully reproduce the bug on iPhone 5. However, at this point in time, it appears this bypass bug is linked to the pre-Siri Voice Dial system. Users can protect their device and prevent the issue by disabling voice dialling in the Settings>General>Passcode screen or just leaving Siri enabled. This assumption is TNW has not been able to get the method work when a more modern voice control system is up and running.
Check out the lock screen bypass method below:
