An Apple customer has discovered a bug that can let people easily bypass one of the iPhone’s new lock screen privacy safeguards.
iOS 11 lets you set hide the contents of your notifications on the lock screen − meaning you can see which apps you have new alerts for, but can’t see the actual alerts themselves.
Related: iPhone X
In order to view the contents − a WhatsApp message, for instance − you need to unlock your phone. It’s a handy feature that’s designed to protect you from anyone who happens to get hold of your phone against your wishes.
However, it’s been let down by Siri. Brazilian site Mac Magazine has found that, even with this feature enabled, anyone can reveal the contents of your hidden notifications simply by asking for a little help from the virtual assistant.
A user discovered that saying “Hey, Siri, read my notifications” prompts the digital helper to reveal all. According to Mac Magazine, the issue exists in iOS 11.3, the latest version of Apple’s mobile OS, which is on the verge of public release.
The only notifications that Siri doesn’t seem to be willing to blab about are those from Apple’s native Messages app. Everything else appears to be vulnerable.
The issue has been reported to Apple, which will hopefully fix it sharpish. In the meantime, to protect yourself, you can go to Siri’s settings page and disabling the ‘Allow Access When Locked’ option.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
