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iOS security vulnerability

My post earlier today about hacking the iPhone 5S's TouchID was talking about something major: access to everything in the phone. But that post mattered to you only if you have an iPhone 5S (the brand new, higher-end model). There is another vulnerability that affects just about everybody with an iPhone, at least if you've upgraded to iOS 7.

If the phone you're trying to get allows access to the Control Center from the lock screen, it's possible for someone who knows a fairly simple trick to get into your photos and some other parts of your phone's content. You can read about it here:

Forbes/Andy Greenburg: 
iOS 7 Bug Lets Anyone Bypass iPhone's Lockscreen To Hijack Photos, Email, Or Twitter

I just confirmed that this is possible using my own iPhone 5. I'm writing this on 9/23/13 and using the current (latest) version of iOS 7 (11A465).

Unauthorized access to your email is the biggest danger here. Remember, somebody with access to your email may be able to change your password to other accounts. So even though this bug doesn't immediately give the intruder full access to your phone, it's potentially serious.

But there's a fix, and you should take advantage of it. Simply disable Control Center on the lock screen:

Settings > Control Center > Access on Lock Screen (turn off)

Should be off by default but it isn't.

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