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iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

theguardian.com

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Re: iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

#61

Post by DominikR »

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I understand this is done to protect the customers from tampered with Touch ID sensors.

It may be overly paranoid but I can at least understand the motivation behind this. Changing the display also involves disconnecting the Touch ID sensor so technically a malicious person might have done something that exposes the user of the device in some way.

Statement from an Apple spokeswoman:

“We protect fingerprint data using a secure enclave, which is uniquely paired to the touch ID sensor. When iPhone is serviced by an authorised Apple service provider or Apple retail store for changes that affect the touch ID sensor, the pairing is re-validated. This check ensures the device and the iOS features related to touch ID remain secure. Without this unique pairing, a malicious touch ID sensor could be substituted, thereby gaining access to the secure enclave. When iOS detects that the pairing fails, touch ID, including Apple Pay, is disabled so the device remains secure.”

http://www.macrumors.com/2016/02/05/error-53-home-button-iph...

Re: iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

#63

Post by minikites »

_cipher_ wrote: post #54
minikites wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are people with myopia discriminated against in society?

> Are people with myopia discriminated against in society? Yes. I am offended by the small letters in ads.

And how has that led to you being passed over for employment or otherwise put you at a disadvantage when competing with others?

Re: iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

#64

Post by fuzzix »

benevol wrote: post #39
jacquesm wrote: post #4

It's totally dumb that a functioning phone is bricked by an update because of repairs done in the past. Imagine the same thing happening to your car. "Sorry sir, the software update done to your car has now disabled the vehicle because in the past someone not related to x (insert name of car company here) has repaired it, your car is now junk (you can't even resell it) and you'll have to buy a new one". It's just pet…

Remember the woman who proved that Apple consistently slows down sold iPhones with "updates" right before the launch date of a new model? [0] Apple is in the business of selling (overpriced/overengineered) hardware. Their tactics make that very clear. The only problem with that is that there is no real competition in mobile phones anymore, it's just a giant duopoly. Sure, you can switch to Google/Android, which as th…

> Remember the woman who proved that Apple consistently slows down sold iPhones with "updates" right before the launch date of a new model?

No. Story linked from daily mail (that's not a "source") is more nuanced.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/upshot/hold-the-phone-a-bi...

Re: iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

#65

Post by jrochkind1 »

an_d_rew wrote: post #47

You DO have the right to repair your iPhone; it just has to be done by an official Apple repair centre. I completely understand the downsides of Apple's particular approach here, and totally get why people want the right to use 3rd party repair services. I've used them myself in the past to save (a lot of) money. But considering just how much of my life, financial and otherwise, is on my phone, I'm actually very glad…

Apparently, YOU don't have the right to repair your own iPhone then, only an official Apple repair centre does. You mean: You have the right to pay an official Apple repair center, and nobody else, to repair your iPhone.

Re: iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

#66

Post by andybak »

ddorian43 wrote: post #44
minikites wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You sound like one of those white guys that say "Why can't I say the n-word if I feel like it!!"

Saying n-word is exactly the same as saying nigger. F that (see). Why can black people say the nigger word ? Or do you censor them too ?

Please bear in mind the use/mention distinction.

Re: iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

#67

Post by andybak »

markyc wrote: post #35
minikites wrote: post #8

>retarded Don't say this.

you can't say anything anymore in the us because of the pc police

Your statement could indicate a range of opinions ranging from ones I agree with to those that are merely a fig-leaf for blatant racism.

I'm afraid you'll have to express yourself in some more detail and avoid hollow cliches. This is a complex and nuanced debate.

Re: iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

#68

Post by Yver »

jacquesm wrote: post #18
minikites wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Call it what it actually is: short sighted, greedy, foolish, etc. Don't use a word that puts down people with disabilities.

I'm sorry, I did not mean to offend anybody but my reading of the word is that it has two meanings, one of which is 'stupid or dumb'. I'll update the comment.

By the way, "dumb" means unable to speak, or mute. Using "dumb" as a synonym for stupid is as offensive as using "retarded" as a synonym for idiotic. Which, in my opinion, is not at all.

Re: iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

#69

Post by [deleted] »

benevol wrote: post #39
jacquesm wrote: post #4

It's totally dumb that a functioning phone is bricked by an update because of repairs done in the past. Imagine the same thing happening to your car. "Sorry sir, the software update done to your car has now disabled the vehicle because in the past someone not related to x (insert name of car company here) has repaired it, your car is now junk (you can't even resell it) and you'll have to buy a new one". It's just pet…

Remember the woman who proved that Apple consistently slows down sold iPhones with "updates" right before the launch date of a new model? [0] Apple is in the business of selling (overpriced/overengineered) hardware. Their tactics make that very clear. The only problem with that is that there is no real competition in mobile phones anymore, it's just a giant duopoly. Sure, you can switch to Google/Android, which as th…

[deleted]

Re: iPhones 'disabled' if Apple detects third-party repairs

#70

Post by interpol_p »

Sir_Substance wrote: post #60
taspeotis wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The scenario they're protecting against appears (to me) to be a bad actor changing the hardware. If the Touch ID sensor is bad, and you propose falling back to a PIN, who's to say the digitizer isn't compromised too and is recording touches? Sounds a bit like a downgrade attack if they didn't fail fast and hard at the earliest opportunity.

If I understand this correctly (not an iphone person), the touch ID sensor is just a fingerprint scanner? As a standalone measure, biometrics make a shitty password substitute because you can't change a finger print if it's compromised, so shouldn't the iphone be secured on the premise that the finger print scanner is already compromised, hence losing it should not qualify as a downgrade attack?

Touch ID is a fingerprint scanner, but the Touch ID system is paired with the "Secure Enclave" in Apple's AX chips.

Secure Enclave is a separate coprocessor running its own L4-based microkernel. This hardware is directly paired with security-sensitive hardware (Touch ID, Apple Pay NFC chip, etc). It provides all cryptographic operations for data protection key management and maintains the integrity of data protection even if the kernel has been compromised.

So when you stick a third-party Touch ID sensor in an iPhone it's obviously not going to be paired with the secure coprocessor. It doesn't really matter whether biometrics are shitty passwords, the iOS update process realises there is compromised hardware touching the Secure Enclave and fails in the worst possible way for the user.

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