iOS 11 Problems: New Update Removes Password Protection

Apple's latest flagship smartphone, the iPhone XFacebook/Apple

Apple has released the new iOS 11 just a few months ago, and there have already been multiple complaints about different problems. While most of them can easily be fixed, the iOS 11 has some security concerns that an ordinary Apple user might not be able to do anything about.

According to International Business Times, the iOS 11 has a removed an extra layer of protection from the people's iPhones. The move was apparently done intentionally by Apple in the name of user convenience. However, although the phone may be easier to use, the device also becomes easier to hack.

The layer that Apple removed was possibly the most important layer of protection. Before iOS 11, digital forensics expert Oleg Afonin called the iPhone security "the most secure mobile ecosystem on the market." With the new update, that layer, that served to protect the encrypted backup that the phone has, was removed.

Normally, for a hacker to get into the phone's system, the hackers need to not only know the passcode but to have the device as well. Assuming that the hackers find out about the passcode and do get the iPhone, the hacker would still not be able to get access most of the important info on the phone's back up because it is protected by another password.

In the new iOS 11 update, the back up password was linked to the iOS device so that users, and now hackers, can easily change the password once they open the phone. This then makes it easier to access all the phone's data since anyone with the phone password can change the password to the back up files.

However, from a general perspective, just because Apple did this does not mean that there will be a lot of people affected. However, it might be crucial especially if people have important information stored on their phone. In any case, the best anyone can do now is to make the passcode of the phone more complicated. There are different options that Apple allows its users to set anyway.