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Is iOS 7 really immune from being reset, once iCloud account singed in?

nbnbxdnb

nbnbxdnb

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 1, 2010
259
23
Hello guys,
For the record, I lost a 64G iPad 4 before, which broke my heart. So I really want to take good care of my new iPad mini R. But to prepare for the worst case scenario, I'd like to know if iOS 7 is really immune from being reset, once I singed in with iCloud account. Which part is it going to be locked? I have a feeling that some hackers can always find a way to sneak in. But the question, has it been done? Thx.:confused:
 
You know how when you setup a iOS device and the setup assistant runs, asking you what language to use, what's your Apple ID, do you want to use Siri, etc? One of the things it does before you can use the device is to check in with Apple's servers to see if the device has Find my iPhone enabled. If so, it won't continue until you enter the password to the Apple ID that enabled Find my iPhone.

If you don't have that password, you can't use the device. I've seen no hack to get around that. However, thiefs can still sell the device for "parts only".
 
aristobrat said:
You know how when you setup a iOS device and the setup assistant runs, asking you what language to use, what's your Apple ID, do you want to use Siri, etc? One of the things it does before you can use the device is to check in with Apple's servers to see if the device has Find my iPhone enabled. If so, it won't continue until you enter the password to the Apple ID that enabled Find my iPhone.

If you don't have that password, you can't use the device. I've seen no hack to get around that. However, thiefs can still sell the device for "parts only".
Click to expand...

That is an assuring answer. Yeah, I understand they can dissect the device and sell organs... Shame on them
 
aristobrat said:
You know how when you setup a iOS device and the setup assistant runs, asking you what language to use, what's your Apple ID, do you want to use Siri, etc? One of the things it does before you can use the device is to check in with Apple's servers to see if the device has Find my iPhone enabled. If so, it won't continue until you enter the password to the Apple ID that enabled Find my iPhone.

If you don't have that password, you can't use the device. I've seen no hack to get around that. However, thiefs can still sell the device for "parts only".
Click to expand...

Doesn´t Find My iPhone lock the firmware of the device? If it does that it will be pretty much impossible to hack too. I don´t have any experience with iPhones and iPads, but the PIN lock on Macs locks the firmware down, so replacing the drive will make it harder.
 
Cristian .b said:
Doesn´t Find My iPhone lock the firmware of the device? If it does that it will be pretty much impossible to hack too. I don´t have any experience with iPhones and iPads, but the PIN lock on Macs locks the firmware down, so replacing the drive will make it harder.
Click to expand...
IIRC, on a Mac with the firmware locked down, you can't even boot it, right?

On an iOS device that's got Find my iCloud enabled, you can wipe the device, restore the OS, boot the newly restored OS, and get most of the way through the setup of the new OS before you're "stopped".

IMO, the end seems to be the same (an unusable device), but sounds like iOS lets you do more things before you're stopped.
 
aristobrat said:
IIRC, on a Mac with the firmware locked down, you can't even boot it, right?

On an iOS device that's got Find my iCloud enabled, you can wipe the device, restore the OS, boot the newly restored OS, and get most of the way through the setup of the new OS before you're "stopped".

IMO, the end seems to be the same (an unusable device), but sounds like iOS lets you do more things before you're stopped.
Click to expand...

When the Mac is PIN locked, it asks for an PIN code, if you have the right one it will boot. So it won´t boot at all without the PIN. LOL, you can only use the trackpad/mouse and keyboard.
 
The person who has signed in with their Apple ID can delete the device from their list of handsets on iCloud.com as well, freeing it up so that anyone can set it up again.
 
deeddawg said:
No, you can still DFU Restore the iphone to reload iOS -- but it doesn't get around Activation lock
Click to expand...

So what you are saying is that, people can DFU restore the iDevice to be a brand new one, even though they can't peek into the personal info stored in the old system. So the bottom line is that, the thieves can sell the iPhone/ipad with iOS7 installed, while the people who lost don't need worry about private info leak.
 
nbnbxdnb said:
So what you are saying is that, people can DFU restore the iDevice to be a brand new one, even though they can't peek into the personal info stored in the old system. So the bottom line is that, the thieves can sell the iPhone/ipad with iOS7 installed, while the people who lost don't need worry about private info leak.
Click to expand...

They can DFU restore a device with activation lock and it will erase and reinstall iOS. However, once you try to set it up again, it will ask for the Apple ID and password of the account that was used to lock it.

So yes, it will erase and restore. But it will still be locked and useless without the proper login.
 
Wouldn't be surprised if once ios 7 is jail breakable, someone will find a way to activate the phone so it doesn't ask you to activate it and the phone will still to usable.
 
ross1998 said:
Wouldn't be surprised if once ios 7 is jail breakable, someone will find a way to activate the phone so it doesn't ask you to activate it and the phone will still to usable.
Click to expand...


Maybe feasible but if that was the case hopefully Apple would use the might of their company to come down hard on such a tweak.

And for the record i'm Pro Jailbreaking.
 
bandofbrothers said:
Maybe feasible but if that was the case hopefully Apple would use the might of their company to come down hard on such a tweak.

And for the record i'm Pro Jailbreaking.
Click to expand...

If apple wants to really crack down, then they should make it so you can't shut down the phone while in lock screen. That would guarantee the thief can't turn it off and your phone will be a tracking device.
 
ross1998 said:
If apple wants to really crack down, then they should make it so you can't shut down the phone while in lock screen. That would guarantee the thief can't turn it off and your phone will be a tracking device.
Click to expand...

You're right. The thief would be then also be unable to discharge the battery fully or move the device to a location which prevents location or communication.
 
ross1998 said:
If apple wants to really crack down, then they should make it so you can't shut down the phone while in lock screen. That would guarantee the thief can't turn it off and your phone will be a tracking device.
Click to expand...
So then the thief just wraps it in lots of tin foil or puts it inside a metal box. They can hide a car from a tracker so an iDevice isn't going to be a challenge
 
Jambalaya said:
So then the thief just wraps it in lots of tin foil or puts it inside a metal box. They can hide a car from a tracker so an iDevice isn't going to be a challenge
Click to expand...

Bla bla. You can always come up with something.

The truth is this: more barriers for thieves = higher likelihood of retrieving your iDevice.
 
Merkie said:
Bla bla. You can always come up with something.

The truth is this: more barriers for thieves = higher likelihood of retrieving your iDevice.
Click to expand...
Really you want to avoid the thing being stolen, if the various "electronic lock" mechanisms provide a deterrent that's great. I think the whole theft recovery idea is a bit of a waste of time. Find_my_phone is great and I've recovered my phone where it had fallen down and inside an upholstered chair but that's when it's lost not stolen.

A deal deterrent for theft would be a world-wide lock on the the phone by the telephone companies if it was reported stolen
 
A neat thing I discovered is that the Activation Lock will survive even downgrading the OS.

I restored an iPhone 4 to iOS 5.1.1 (just to get some speed back after trying iOS 7). And during the initial setup, iOS 5 prompted me to enter the iCloud username and password to continue.
 
Is iOS 7 really immune from being reset, once iCloud account singed in?

Xenomorph said:
A neat thing I discovered is that the Activation Lock will survive even downgrading the OS.



I restored an iPhone 4 to iOS 5.1.1 (just to get some speed back after trying iOS 7). And during the initial setup, iOS 5 prompted me to enter the iCloud username and password to continue.
Click to expand...


Yep. If you ever had your device on iOS 7 with find my iPhone activated it is logged on Apple servers and will require you to enter your Apple ID and password if restored when activating the device, regardless of the OS version you're restoring to.
 
Jambalaya said:
Really you want to avoid the thing being stolen, if the various "electronic lock" mechanisms provide a deterrent that's great. I think the whole theft recovery idea is a bit of a waste of time. Find_my_phone is great and I've recovered my phone where it had fallen down and inside an upholstered chair but that's when it's lost not stolen.

A deal deterrent for theft would be a world-wide lock on the the phone by the telephone companies if it was reported stolen
Click to expand...

Ofcourse your phone not getting stolen is better than using Find My iPhone to retrieve it. But the truth is, iPhones are a target for thieves because:
1. It's easy to sell as lots of people want it
2. It can be easily sold for a high price

The more troublesome Apple makes it for thieves to make a profit of it, the less the number of iPhones stolen will be and the higher the number of retrieved devices will be.

I think it's great Apple's improving on security. They should go further, like not allowing to shut down your device as long as it's locked.
 
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