A Smart Cover Can Be Used to Break Into Your iPad [Video]

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Posted October 21, 2011 at 12:03am by Shalom Levytam

A new iOS security flaw has been discovered that lets anyone with a smart cover break into your iPad, reports 9to5Mac.

What the flaw allows:
The person who unlocks your iPad 2 will not have complete access to your iPad, but will be able to gain entrance to whatever you locked your iPad 2 on. If your iPad 2 went to sleep in Mail, Safari, Messages, Contacts, or Maps, you can imagine the sorts of personal information that can be viewed on your iPad.

If your iPad was on the home screen when you locked it, someone trying to break in can only control media and see what applications you have installed.

Steps to Recreate:
1) Lock a password protected iPad 2
2) Hold down power button until iPad 2 reaches turn off slider
3) Close Smart Cover
4) Open Smart Cover
5) Click cancel on the bottom of the screen

To get around this bug you can disable Smart Cover unlocking from the Settings:General menu. Hopefully Apple resolves it soon.

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Paul - October 22, 2011 at 2:58pm

Know your device. Just hitting the sleep button does not close an App. It just puts the screen to sleep. His theory is flawed. If you properly close the App with the home button, it cannot be assessed the way he says and he did not show that the lock screen has been activated before he performed the test with safari page. I've not been able to duplicate his findings if Safari is shut down with the home button and the screen is locked.

Robbo - October 21, 2011 at 9:05am

If you lock on the home screen they can also use spotlight search. It will not return email entries but does seem to happily search your contacts, returning numbers for them in the search screen. You can't click on these entries to load them, but certainly a hole in the security!

Madmanc47 - October 21, 2011 at 7:37am

All I would say is serves you all right if you get caught out for not insuring you have shut down in the correct manner! Leave the keys in your car and sure enough someone will steal it :)

Nobo1 - October 21, 2011 at 5:57am

it's no flaw or bug! it's part of the settings which peeps don't bother to read or investigate! jeez

Hector - October 21, 2011 at 8:03am

Obviously, because Apple products are magical and Perfect. It's not a flaw you are just using it wrong.

Nobo1 - October 22, 2011 at 2:50pm

of course... it's not software issue just a settings issue.... which you probably didn't bother to look at

Titus Purnomo - October 21, 2011 at 4:48am

superb. great find.

Khantastic - October 21, 2011 at 4:04am

Oh thanks, now I'll never 1 put the smart cover on 2 after rigorously pressing the sleep button to 3 get my iPad 2 on the swipe to shut down screen before 4 shutting down any apps running. Not that I'd do that on a n y Ã±Ã¶RmÃ¦Å day! But i guess 9to5mac does exactly that, stay on it 9 to 5 to find such amazing life saving observations for us. Thanks again

Robby - October 21, 2011 at 2:47am

Haha he turns the camera off and back on for his second example. Could this be a way to get apples attention or maybe a false video ?

Ricardo - October 21, 2011 at 1:23am

But when we do it, nothing works...

OVA update time - October 21, 2011 at 12:50am

Maybe Apple can fix this flaw with an OVA software update!

Enrico - October 21, 2011 at 12:34am

Thank you iClarified, you just saved my marriage. I will now hit the home button before I lock my iPad and cover it (after surfing porn). :)

Tony - October 21, 2011 at 12:08am

Lol, great find.