A critical security bug has been discovered recently in OS 4.1 which lets you bypass the iPhone’s passcode lock so you can make calls and even access the address book or voicemail. Your iPhone wouldn’t have to be jailbroken for this – the bug is in the passcode lock screen and emergency call dialer.
Below are the instructions on how to achieve this:
- First lock your iPhone by using a passcode
- Now on the lock screen, press “Emergency Call”
- On the keypad, dial any random number say 112233
- Now as soon as you hit the “Call” button, immediately press the Power button
- This will take you to the Phone application
- Just make a call and hangup to exit back to the lock screen
According to Engadget, this works on iPhone 3G, 3GS, and the iPhone 4. Also by selecting “share contact” and then the camera icon gives you access to the photo album. Finally if you hold down the menu button and access the voice control, you can also play some locally-stored music.
Apple takes security very seriously so it’s pretty odd that such a silly bug passed through their testing. I’m pretty sure Apple must be aware of this by now and will definitely fix the hole in the next upgrade. Just to add, this bug also exists in iOS 4.2 beta.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below and watch the demo video made by Engadget on how to exploit the above security bug:
