---
title: Secret Button Sequence Bypasses iPhone Security | Threat Level
date: 2010-10-26T00:40:43Z
modified: 2010-10-26T00:40:43Z
permalink: "https://nko.org/secret-button-sequence-bypasses-iphone-security-threat-level/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 770
categories:
  - Environment
author: Paul Garrett Hugel
timestamp: 2010-10-26T00:40:43Z
tags:
  - Environment
---

> A security flaw in the iPhone allows strangers to bypass the handset’s lock screen with a few button presses.
> 
> In the video below, a Brazilian iPhone customer demonstrates the quick method to circumvent an iPhone’s passcode-protected lock screen: tap the “Emergency call” button, then enter three pound signs, hit the green call button and immediately press the lock button. That simple procedure gives a snoop full access to the Phone app on the iPhone, which contains the address book, voicemail and call history.
> 
> Wired.com tried out the procedure with complete success on an iPhone 4 running iOS 4.1, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.
> 
> Apple did not immediately return a phone call or e-mail requesting comment.
> 
> Though hailed as one of the best-selling handsets on the market, security researchers have criticized the iPhone for its weak security. A very similar <a>security flaw discovered on the iPhone in 2008</a> allowed people to easily bypass the lock screen to access mail, contacts and bookmarks. Apple later acknowledged the bug and issued a software update patching the issue.
> 
> Hat-tip: [9 to 5 Mac](http://www.9to5mac.com/32147/make-calls-from-locked-iphone-4s)
> 
> **See Also:**
> 
> - [iPhone Finder Regrets His ‘Mistake’](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/04/iphone-finder/)
> - [Court OKs Covert iPhone Audio Recording](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/08/covert-iphone-audio-recording/)
> - [iPhone Jailbreak Videos: A Legal Primer and a How-To](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/iphone-jailbreak-prime/)
> - [iPhone Virus-Writer’s New Job: Building iPhone Apps](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/11/iphone-hacker/)
> - [Metasploit Creator Distributes Exploits for iPhone](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2007/10/metasploit-crea/)
> - [IPhone’s Security Rivals Windows 95 (No, That’s Not Good)](http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2007/10/iphone_windows)
> - [iPh0wnd: Researcher Finds Security Hole in iPhone](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2007/07/iph0wnd-researc/)

via [wired.com](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/10/iphone-snoop/)



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## Topics

**Categories:** [Environment](https://nko.org/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/taxonomy/category/environment.md)