Law enforcement agencies — despite protests from privacy advocates — have long lobbied to get access to your smartphone.
Now a mysterious U.S. startup called Grayshift -- which reportedly has an ex-Apple security engineer on staff -- is providing iPhone unlocking tools to cops, according to Motherboard.
SEE ALSO:Here's 5 tips for Spring cleaning your digital footprintGrayKey is a box that measures four by four inches wide, and features two Lightning cables at the front, as per a post by security software company Malwarebytes.
According to Forbes, Grayshift claims the device only works with iOS 10 and 11, with iOS 9 compatibility slated for the future. Devices ranging from the iPhone X to the 6 are supported, as are various iPad models.
There are two variants of GrayKey: The $15,000 version requires internet connectivity, and only allows 300 uses. For $30,000, you can buy a version which works offline, and allows as many unlocks as you want.
The Maryland State Police and Indiana State Police have already bought GrayKey, and the Miami-Dade County Police are planning to purchase it.
The Secret Service reportedly plans to buy half a dozen of them, and the State Department has already snapped up the technology. The Drug Enforcement Agency is also interested.
It can take anywhere between two hours to more than three days to find an iPhone's passcode, which is dependent on the code's length.
When ready, the passcode shows up on a black screen, and the iPhone's data is downloaded to GrayKey once it's been unlocked.
GrayKey rivals the service provided by Israeli firm Cellebrite, which unlocks smartphones for $5,000 a pop -- although you'll have to bring it to one of its facilities.
If it finds its way to the black market, the more expensive version of GrayKey could be a prized item, potentially allowing thieves to unlock and resell stolen phones. The cheaper GrayKey is geofenced, which means it can only be used on one network.
Of course, GrayKey is only as good as the vulnerabilities left unfixed, thus continuing the never-ending battle between Apple and law enforcement for your iPhone.
TopicsAppleCybersecurityiPhone
(责任编辑：熱點)
Tourist survives for month in frozen New Zealand wilderness after partner diesShadows of removed Reddit posts hide in plain sight
Apple plans to launch redesigned AirPods Pro in 2022, report claimsHow to convert YouTube videos to MP3 filesWhyd voiceXiaomi accused of copying again, this time by Jawbone
Imitation is not always the best form of flattery. 。 SEE ALSO:Xiaomi's MacBook Air clone is called, w
...[详细]'Malfunction' review: We're still failing Janet Jackson
After the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime show, the phrase "wardrobe malfunction" became a preferred punchl
...[详细]Shadows of removed Reddit posts hide in plain sight
It’s hard to shock Collin Williams, a volunteer moderator for r/RoastMe, a comedic insult foru
...[详细]Conservatives dug up an old tweet from new Twitter CEO that quotes 'The Daily Show'
It wouldn't be Twitter if there wasn't a new controversy about some decade-old tweets.Just hours aft
...[详细]One thing's for sure: you're never too old to learn. 。Massachusetts woman Clare Picciuto turned 100 F
...[详细]Halloween or Christmas? No. 'Nightmare Before Christmas’ is a Thanksgiving movie.
Ah, autumn. It’s that special time of year when my favorite entertainment debate clamors down
...[详细]Everything you need to know about 'Spider
It's finally here. Spider-Man: No Way Home is the MCU's first truly multiversal adventure, incorpora
...[详细]Shadows of removed Reddit posts hide in plain sight
It’s hard to shock Collin Williams, a volunteer moderator for r/RoastMe, a comedic insult foru
...[详细]Tributes flow after death of former Singapore president S.R. Nathan
The Singaporean government has announced that former president, 92-year-old Sellapan Ramanathan (wid
...[详细]Tamagotchi turns 25 with a nostalgia
1996 was a big year for '90s kids. It was the birth year of streaming platform Yahoo! Kids, the Nint
...[详细]Tributes flow after death of former Singapore president S.R. Nathan
'Malfunction' review: We're still failing Janet Jackson