iPhones now auto-restart to block access to encrypted data after long idle times

Apple has added a new security feature with the iOS 18.1 update released last month to ensure that iPhones automatically reboot after long idle periods to re-encrypt data and make it harder to extract.

While the company has yet to officially confirm this new "inactivity reboot" feature, law enforcement officers were the first to discover it after observing suspects' iPhones restarting while in police custody, as first reported by 404 Media.

This switches the idle devices from an After First Unlock (AFU) state to a Before First Unlock (BFU) state, where the devices are more challenging to break using forensic phone unlocking tools.

See more: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/iphones-now-auto-restart-to-block-access-to-encrypted-data-after-long-idle-times/

#cybersecurity #ios