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What It Looks Like To Bruteforce an iPhone Lock Screen

Your nudes are never safe.

​It looks like not having an iPhone password is just as secure as having one.

That alarming revelation comes from this video, which shows a device called an "IP box" that guesses random four-digit number combinations until it successfully gains access into an iPhone. It's a called a brute-force attack, and it's apparently common in phone repair markets, reveals security​ blog MDSec.

Although set-up to execute this is likely complicated for normals, it's relatively easy for those who know their way around an iPhone. The IP box costs around $200​ on eBay and is connected to the iPhone though a $30 a​daptor kit.

The box guesses every possible numerical combination between 0000 and 9999 until it's successful—even if the "Erase data after 10 attempts" option is configured. The video shows orange numbers flashing its guesses like it's a cruel game on the Price Is Right.

How? The IP box is connected to the iPhone's power source, cutting the power off before the attempt is recorded. "As such, each PIN entry takes approximately 40 seconds, meaning that it would take up to ~111 hours to bruteforce a 4 digit PIN," the researchers write.

The problem was reveale​d last November. Apple has released a patch to fix the bug in iOS 8.1.1., however old versions are still vulnerable. If you're still concerned, a simple workaround is unselecting the "Simple Passcode" option and making your PIN more than four numbers because the box is too stupid to figure that out.