Another week, another iOS 7 bug.
The ease of access to Airplane Mode in iOS 7's new Control Center poses a possible security threat for iPhone owners, according to a study reported by CNet on Friday.
Quick access to Airplane Mode, even at the lockscreen, through the Control Center could give thieves or hackers extra time to compromise your device, say security researchers at German firm SR Labs, in a video posted to YouTube.
With Airplane Mode enabled, crucial programs needed to retrieve or remotely wipe a lost or stolen iPhone such as Find My iPhone are rendered useless. Without worry of the phone being located via GPS, thieves can take their time breaking into the phone, according to the researchers.
For iPhone 5S users the bug is extra grim, as SR Labs have also found that this extra time can give thieves a chance to spoof a user's fingerprint and gain full access to their phone. Once inside the phone, thieves can use the "forgotten password" part of the Apple ID login to have a new password made. Once that's been reset, whoever is in possession of the phone can access the owner's accounts.
Thankfully this is a bug that's very easy to fix. Just go into "Settings" on your iPhone, then "Control Center" and switch off "Access On Lock Screen."
News of the bugs comes after it was revealed in September that iOS 7 had a flaw that would allow anyone to access an iPhone through the alarm clock in the Control Center. Apple promptly released an update to fix the bug.
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