A hole in the locking feature of iPad 2 could allow anyone to access to data and applications on a locked device, according to a recent report from 9to5mac.com. The bypass involves an intricate sequence of steps using the iPad 2’s Smart Cover, an accessory that magnetically folds over the tablet, to work around the device’s Lock screen.
By holding down the device’s power button to trigger the “turn off” slider feature, then closing and opening the Smart Cover and clicking Cancel at the bottom of the screen, 9to5mac found that it is possible to circumvent the iPad’s lock feature.
The hack doesn’t give an attacker unfettered access to the iPad. Instead, they are limited to applications that were opened and running at the time the iPad was locked, as well as to the iPad’s desktop and multitasking menu. If an application like Mail or Messages were left open, some of the user’s sensitive information could be at stake, the article warns.
To close the security hole, iPad2 users are advised to disable the Smart Cover unlocking feature.
The flaw is similar to one discovered on Apple’s iPhone 4S earlier this week. On Tuesday Threatpost reported that anyone can access iPhone’s voice-activated personal assistant Siri without even unlocking the device. The increasing adoption of mobile devices in the work place has added to the growing concern that iPhones, iPads and similar devices may lack adequate security.
