Law enforcement around the world that need to gain access to locked iPhones as part of their investigations commonly use a variety of solutions provided by Cellebrite, a mobile forensics company that has proven particularly adept at exactly that. But it seems that a recent iPhone software update might have the company on the ropes.
According to a new report, Cellebrite is still struggling to find a way to unlock iPhones that are running iOS 17.4 or later, a software update that was released earlier this year and can be installed for free on all compatible devices.
It's thought that Cellebrite is currently researching the software and how to unlock it, and it's likely that it will one day manage it. But for now, at least, iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later are more secure than those running previous versions of the software. We can likely also expect the upcoming iOS 18 release to further up the security ante, too.
Safer than ever
A 404 Media report cites leaked Cellebrite documentation when noting the good news regarding iOS 17.4. That documentation includes the currently supported iOS versions across Cellebrites devices, with some clearly hackable using the company's brute force method.
But the interesting part is the fact that the support matrix says that support for locked iPhones running iOS 17.4 is currently "in research," suggesting that the company cannot currently unlock these handsets. As mentioned, that could well change as that research progresses.
Apple continues to improve the security of its iPhones and other devices in an attempt to prevent unauthorized access, whether that's by law enforcement or a thief. The iOS 18 update is expected to be released to the public this September and will no doubt be the most secure version of the iPhone's operating system to date.
