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Locked Out Of Mac (4-Digit Pin Required)

Sriha34

Sriha34

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 19, 2015
11
1
So after owning my MacBook for 11 months; I leave my computer one day to make some food and come back to my computer rebooting because of an auto update and find out that I need a 4 digit pin code in order to access the computer again. I don't remember creating a 4 digit pin! After spending hours waiting in the Apple store I found that they couldn't help me without a proof of purchase. I obviously didn't keep the receipt 11 month later.. expecting that my Mac would last years without issues. I'd spent hours on the phone with Apple support and they also said "You're out of luck". I am extremely frustrated because I have files for work and school on my computer that I NEED. What angers me is that this happened to many others that I've read online and they had to buy new computers. I'd spent 1500$ on a machine and this happens? I understand they assume it's stolen.. but it isn't an iCloud lock, it's for sure a firmware lock because there was no previous owner. I even offered to leave all my information, and in the event that someone claimed it to be stolen they could call me an arrest me, jail me for life for all I care. I find it hard to believe that Apple can't do anything about this problem? Especially when it's a 5 minute process for them to bypass. How do they not have any information of the purchase in their system other than needing a physical receipt? This is total BS and it's causing me so much stress. MacBooks aren't that cheap I'm not too excited about having to buy another. I am currently entering every 4 digit code possibility. It has taken me about 4 hours to try 1200/10,000 combinations. But I'm scared that I'll try every combo it won't help. What if the code changes upon incorrect attempts? Or If I miss one by accident I'll have to start over. I purchased an arduino online just incase I need to input the 10,000 combos again I can just automate the process. Does anyone have any suggestions?


p.s - MacBook PRO is late 2014 Model
 
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But firmware password may/may not be a 4-digit password. But you have specifically said that it's a 4-digit password, hence in my opinion it's an iCloud lock that you can find under the option of Find my Mac. Is there anyone who has got access of your iCloud account other than you?
 
You know how to crack it so good luck. Unfortunately your circumstance would match that of anyone asking for help who had received a mac locked by the previous owner via iCloud. Apple want proof of purchase for a reason.
 
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Sriha34 said:
After spending hours waiting in the Apple store I found that they couldn't help me without a proof of purchase. I obviously didn't keep the receipt 11 month later.
Click to expand...

Maybe not helpful now, but when you buy a computer from apple you have the opportunity to have them email the receipt. That's what I do.

Sriha34 said:
. I find it hard to believe that Apple can't do anything about this problem?
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They do, but you must show that you are the owner. Do you think its wise for them to unlock any computer that comes into the store stolen or not, because they don't ask proof of ownership? I think as noted above its wise to keep your receipt this is but one reason.
 
Aneef said:
But firmware password may/may not be a 4-digit password. But you have specifically said that it's a 4-digit password, hence in my opinion it's an iCloud lock that you can find under the option of Find my Mac. Is there anyone who has got access of your iCloud account other than you?
Click to expand...

Nope. No one else has access to the account. I believe it was from a glitch when activating find my Mac or something because others had this same problem. So everyone was getting locked out against their will. Anyone who had purchased a Mac 3rd party just lost a grand or more :/
 
maflynn said:
Maybe not helpful now, but when you buy a computer from apple you have the opportunity to have them email the receipt. That's what I do.


They do, but you must show that you are the owner. Do you think its wise for them to unlock any computer that comes into the store stolen or not, because they don't ask proof of ownership? I think as noted above its wise to keep your receipt this is but one reason.
Click to expand...

I see how they're protecting people who've had their laptops stolen. But I explained that there was no previous owner. How can't they just look up serial and find customer info in the database lol. Seems like a scam to me
 
Sriha34 said:
But I explained that there was no previous owner.
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How exactly will they know that. Or put it more aptly, if I stole a laptop and then walked into an apple store to get it unlocked. How will they know I'm the original owner vs anyone else.
 
Sriha34 said:
I obviously didn't keep the receipt 11 month later... I'd spent 1500$ on a machine
Click to expand...
Yeah, for a $1500 machine, you need to keep the receipt.

Sriha34 said:
...So everyone was getting locked out against their will.
Click to expand...
Links to these discussions where "everyone was getting locked out...?"

Sriha34 said:
I don't recall doing that... I don't think I registered it
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Did you go through an initial setup process when you first got the machine? ("welcome to mac" and all that?) It tries to associate with your Apple ID and get you to register in the initial setup, you have to choose to skip it. If it was used or "3rd party" then maybe it booted straight to desktop and you never went through that process.

Sriha34 said:
Anyone that isn't directly from Apple. eBay, kijiji, etc.
Click to expand...
So where exactly did you get the machine? It might help with the advice you get here. Even if it was eBay or somewhere online, wouldn't you have an email or digital trail? It might not qualify as a receipt to Apple, but it would at least be a record that you paid for the thing at some point. If by 3rd party you mean Craigslist or equivalent, good luck.

First thing with any used (or questionably sourced) Mac is to straighten out the ownership and warranty info - you can check the warranty status online with the serial number. Then get the thing registered with Apple in your name.

If you need to get files off it, and you have access to another mac, you could try connecting them via Thunderbolt, start up in Target mode, and access the drive from the other Mac.

edit: it looks like the 4-digit system lock PIN screen is pre-boot, so you wouldn't even get the chance to do a Target Disk.
 
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Can't help with the firmware password, but...

... next time, buy it from Apple or an authorized reseller -- and keep the receipt!
 
Update I spent 18 hours inputting each combination and it also does not work. All 10,000 of them. Still no access so I'm not sure what happened. Did I make this code when I first booted up the computer? I can't remember.
 
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maybe you paid with a card of sometype, you can get the details from the company. If you paid cash and didn't keep the receipt then that's a bit silly.
 
Sriha34 said:
Update I spent 18 hours inputting each combination and it also does not work. All 10,000 of them. Still no access so I'm not sure what happened. Did I make this code when I first booted up the computer? I can't remember.
Click to expand...

Nope, it is set by a user when they want to lock a machine they have lost access to. So theft, busted relatioship, shared appleid are the usual causes. Seeing as it happened after an update (had it updated before without problem?), then it might be the shared appleid....but it could be just timing when the lock action was set.
 
So again, where exactly did you get the machine?

Some details would help people give you an idea what info you could possibly dig up (merchant or seller may have records.) If you continue to be vague then frankly your story sounds just as fishy here as I'm sure it did to the folks at the Apple store.
 
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Sriha34 said:
Update I spent 18 hours inputting each combination and it also does not work. All 10,000 of them.
Click to expand...
Also - quoted from elsewhere... not sure how you could input 10,000 codes in 18 hours.

To frustrate a brute force attack further, the Lost Mode lock screen makes you wait 60 seconds after five failures. And if you fail at the sixth attempt, it makes you wait for five minutes before you can have your seventh try. Then you're back to the start of a seven-guess cycle. In theory, then, assuming you can reliably try one passcode per second, plus six minutes of timeout in every seven tries, you should be able to get from 0000 to 9999 in just over 140 hours. That's six days, assuming you don't stop to eat or sleep and make zero mistakes.
 
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Sriha34 said:
Update I spent 18 hours inputting each combination and it also does not work. All 10,000 of them. Still no access so I'm not sure what happened. Did I make this code when I first booted up the computer? I can't remember.
Click to expand...
You would have to put this code it. I'm not sure where it is to input as I've never done it before. :cool:

Or ask the previous owner for it.
 
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austinpike said:
Also - quoted from elsewhere... not sure how you could input 10,000 codes in 18 hours.

To frustrate a brute force attack further, the Lost Mode lock screen makes you wait 60 seconds after five failures. And if you fail at the sixth attempt, it makes you wait for five minutes before you can have your seventh try. Then you're back to the start of a seven-guess cycle. In theory, then, assuming you can reliably try one passcode per second, plus six minutes of timeout in every seven tries, you should be able to get from 0000 to 9999 in just over 140 hours. That's six days, assuming you don't stop to eat or sleep and make zero mistakes.
Click to expand...


I'm allowed 5 attempts then the computer says wait one minute. But when I restart the computer I get 5 attempts again with only having to wait the time it takes to reboot which is approx 8 seconds. Allowing me to put in 10 combos per minute - 600 per hour. On average
 
I
simonsi said:
Nope, it is set by a user when they want to lock a machine they have lost access to. So theft, busted relatioship, shared appleid are the usual causes. Seeing as it happened after an update (had it updated before without problem?), then it might be the shared appleid....but it could be just timing when the lock action was set.
Click to expand...

I never updated it before that's the reason why I thought it was an auto update. But with further digging I found that 2011 models were locked out do to a glitch with find my Mac. Locking theirselves out of their Macs. However they were able to remove hardware to bypass the problem. Because my Mac is the late 2014 model that bypass had been patched by Apple . So if anything I set the lock myself
 
I purchased pf
austinpike said:
So again, where exactly did you get the machine?

Some details would help people give you an idea what info you could possibly dig up (merchant or seller may have records.) If you continue to be vague then frankly your story sounds just as fishy here as I'm sure it did to the folks at the Apple store.
Click to expand...

I purchased off eBay just like thousands of others do I'm sure. The seller didn't lock me out because the Mac was brand new in its plastic meaning how could they remotely put a lock on it. I locked myself out do to a find my Mac glitch and simply do not remember the pin I set
 
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