Tag: thieves’
Sea of Thieves’ New Mystery Aims to Be ‘The Ultimate Treasure Hunt’, With a Real-Life Golden Skull on Offer
Thieves may be able to reveal passwords using thermal cameras and AI
Researchers at The University of Glasglow have unveiled a method to guess recently entered passwords on keyboards and phone screens with high accuracy by imaging the heat signatures from users’ fingers. The technique’s success rate varies depending on timing, materials, and password length, but could worsen a recent uptick in…
Little-known iPhone setting allows thieves to take over your Apple account
Apple Responds to Report About Thieves Permanently Locking Out iPhone Users
As the journalists first revealed in February, there have been increasing instances of thieves spying on an iPhone user’s passcode in public and then stealing the device in order to gain widespread access to the device and its contents, including financial apps. All of the victims interviewed in the initial report said their iPhones were stolen while they were out socializing at bars and other public places at night.
With knowledge of the iPhone’s passcode, a thief can easily reset the victim’s Apple ID password in the Settings app, even if Face ID or Touch ID is enabled. Subsequently, the thief can turn off Find My iPhone on the device, preventing the owner of the device from tracking its location or remotely erasing the device via iCloud.
Today’s report places more focus on an additional step that thieves can take: using the stolen device to set or reset a recovery key, a randomly generated 28-character code that is required to regain access to an Apple ID once enabled.
“Apple’s policy gives users virtually no way back into their accounts without that recovery key,” the report states. With unmitigated access to a stolen iPhone, the device’s passcode, and the Apple ID password, thieves can steal money via Apple Pay and potentially other banking apps, view sensitive information like photos and emails, and more.
Apple’s website does warn that losing access to both your trusted devices and recovery key means that “you could be locked out of your account permanently.” In this scenario, however, thieves spying on iPhone passcodes before stealing the devices means that victims only need to lose their device in order to potentially be permanently locked out. The report serves as a valuable reminder to protect your iPhone’s passcode in public.
For more details, read our previous coverage.
Apple Responds
In a statement shared in response to the report, Apple said it is “always investigating additional protections against emerging threats like this one.”
“We sympathize with people who have had this experience and we take all attacks on our users very seriously, no matter how rare,” an Apple spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal. “We work tirelessly every day to protect our users’ accounts and data, and are always investigating additional protections against emerging threats like this one.”
How to Stay Protected
iPhone users should use Face ID or Touch ID as much as possible when in public to prevent thieves from spying on their passcode. In situations where entering the passcode is necessary, users can hold their hands over their screen to hide passcode entry.
The report also recommends that users switch from a four-digit passcode to an alphanumeric passcode, which would be more difficult for thieves to spy on. This can be done in the Settings app under Face ID & Passcode → Change Passcode.
To protect a bank account, consider storing the password in a password manager that does not involve the device’s passcode, such as 1Password.
Users can enable Screen Time parental controls to further lock down their device, the report adds.
This article, “Apple Responds to Report About Thieves Permanently Locking Out iPhone Users” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Car thieves using fake JBL speakers, not keys, to steal vehicles in just minutes
Sometimes criminals inadvertently pick the wrong target when planning a crime. In this case, car thieves leveraging a new tactic for keyless access and stealing vehicles happened to pick the Toyota SUV of a cybersecurity analyst who specializes in automotive security. And what he found was a tactic that went…
Thieves cut through adjacent shop wall to steal $500K worth of iPhones from Apple Store
Washington Apple Store Robbed of $500,000 in iPhones After Thieves Tunnel Through Coffee Shop Wall
The burglars were able to bypass the Apple Store’s security system by using the adjacent coffee shop, stealing a total of 436 iPhones that were worth around $500,000.
According to Seattle Coffee Gear manager Eric Marks, the coffee shop is not noticeably adjacent to the Apple Store because of the way that the store is laid out. “I would have never suspected we were adjacent to the Apple Store, how it wraps around I mean,” Marks told King 5 News. “So, someone really had to think it out and have access to the mall layout.”
Good morning Twitter fans! Yesterday was a weird day…
1. Two men broke into one of our retail locations. Why? To cut a hole in our bathroom wall to access the Apple Store next door and steal $500k worth of Iphones🙄
2. Later that night on the way to the grocery store my wife… pic.twitter.com/DcUld6ULEd
— Mike Atkinson (@coffeemikeatkin) April 4, 2023
Police were able to obtain surveillance footage of the theft, but as it is part of an active investigation, it has not yet been released. Nothing was stolen from the coffee shop, but it will cost $1,500 to replace locks and repair the bathroom wall.
No employees were at the Apple Store when the theft happened as the Alderwood Mall had closed for the night. An Alderwood spokesperson said they were working with the police to solve the incident, but Apple has not yet commented.
This article, “Washington Apple Store Robbed of $500,000 in iPhones After Thieves Tunnel Through Coffee Shop Wall” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Watch the ‘Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ cast play the actual game
Before filming the madcap adventures of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, the film’s cast played the actual game along with directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.
In a short clip, you can see Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, and Sophia Lillis playing through a session on the film’s first day of production. “It’s such an incredibly creative game,” Pine says in the clip. “The game teaches camaraderie and friendship. We had a blast.”
“When things don’t go to plan, that’s when you kind of get the best parts of the game,” said Page, who attempted to hug an owlbear in-game. Apparently it did not go well. Still, I’d kill to see the Page-owlbear interaction in full — Paramount, you know what to do.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is now in theaters.