In the last month, the US police received a very serious warning from forensic experts who have the role of unlocking phones iPhone X, iPhone XS si iPhone XS Max confiscated from the suspects of criminal investigations, and not only that. According to this warning, police officers are asked not to look at the screens of these phones in order not to generate a false identification for Face ID, and reduce the chances that the phones will be unlocked.
Face ID blocks iPhone X, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max phones after 5 failed unlocking attempts, after which an access code is required, and the police are warned not to trigger this security system. Those from Elcomsoft, a company specialized in breaking electronic devices, held presentations in which they trained the police on the problems regarding viewing data on the screen of an iPhone with Face ID.
The police are WARNED not to look at the iPhone X/XS screen
If until now the police received warnings not to use the Home button to try to access the iPhone's main screen, now they don't have to look at phone screens anymore. Of course, a simple glance from one side does not detect a scan with Face ID, but the police still have to be very careful, so it is better to advise them not to look at the screen at all.
"This is quite simple. Passcode is required after five unsuccessful attempts to match a face. So by looking into the suspect's phone, [the] investigator immediately loses one of [the] attempts. With Touch ID, you have to press the button (or at least touch it); that's why we always recommend (on our trainings) to use the power button instead, eg to see whether the phone is locked. But with Face ID, it is easier to use 'accidentally' by simply looking at the phone."
Those from Apple have given the police all over the world a lot of trouble with the biometric security measures they have implemented in the iPhone and iPad, and the future will certainly bring others. These recommendations are currently made for police officers in the USA, but they will certainly be taken into account by police bodies from other areas on the planet.
