Apple Is Making It Easier to Protect Your Business Data on Your iPhone

If you use an iPhone for work, you entrust it to keep your data safe. The same goes for personal iPhones, as well. Bad actors want to steal your credentials and information, but security systems keep them at bay.

Unfortunately, the iPhone has had a serious security flaw that has allowed bad actors to take total control over both the device and the victim’s Apple ID: It all comes down to if a thief learns the user’s passcode. Of course, this situation is bad on its own, as a thief with an iPhone passcode can unlock the device whenever they want to.

However, it gets worse. Thieves can unlock the stolen iPhone and dive into iCloud settings. Here, they can say they want to change the password of the attached Apple ID account. Rather than require the existing Apple ID password to proceed, Apple is content to let the user in if they present the iPhone’s passcode. As the thief knows this, they can go ahead and change the password for not just the iPhone, but the entire Apple ID. From here, they can lock the victim out of their entire account, and all the decides they have attached to it.

Luckily, that’s soon changing. Apple is currently testing a new feature called Stolen Device Protection that, when enabled, requires Face ID or Touch ID to complete certain functions. For example, if someone wanted to change your Apple ID on your iPhone, they would need to scan their face or fingerprint before proceeding. The same goes for if they want to make a payment with a saved credit card, access passwords, erase your iPhone, and applying for an Apple Card, among other sensitive functions.

This feature will be available when Apple releases its iOS 17.3 update sometime in the near future.