14 DAY TRIAL // A company called Grayshift has developed a device that can hack any iPhone model on the market, including the iPhone X, and the company confirmed recently that it’s selling this box to law enforcement starting from $15,000.
Called GrayKey, the device is now making the rounds once again thanks to photos and more details published by security company Malwarebytes.
In an analysis of the device and the risks of misusing it, the security vendor explains that GrayKey comes with two Lightning cables that allow the unlocking of two different iPhones at the same time.
Depending on how complex the passcode is, it can be cracked in just a few hours in case it uses just four digits, but the process can take up to several days when six digits are used. GrayKey then displays the passcode on the iPhone screen, and allows users extract data from the device, including unencrypted contents of the Keychain.
All iPhone models can be hacked
GrayKey costs $15,000 for 300 hacking attempts with an Internet connection, but it’s also available with unlimited attempts and offline support for $30,000. This is one of the reasons Malwarebytes says GrayKey could become a major concern should it fall into the wrong hands, despite using an advanced security system of its own, including two-factor authentication.
“The offline model does require token-based two-factor authentication as a replacement for geofencing for ensuring security. However, as people often write passwords on stickies and put them on their monitors, it’s probably too much to hope that the token will be kept in a separate location when the GrayKey is not being used. Most likely, it will be stored nearby for easy access,” the company says.
It appears that the box, which is super-portable and has the dimensions of a mini PC, can be used for hacking into any iPhone model, including the iPhone X. All iOS versions are believed to be hackable as well, including the most recent versions released by Apple.
Unsurprisingly, the Cupertino-based tech giant hasn’t released any comments on GrayKey and it’s unknown right now if it already patched the vulnerability that this device exploits to hack iPhones.
