Earlier this year,
The Wall Street Journal published an in-depth report highlighting instances of thieves watching
iPhone owners enter their passcode before stealing the device in order to gain access to the device, data, and money.
With knowledge of the iPhone's passcode, a thief can easily reset the victim's
Apple ID password in the Settings app, even if
Face ID or
Touch ID is enabled. It also allows a thief to use
Apple Pay, send Apple Cash, and access banking apps using passwords stored in
iCloud Keychain.
"We sympathize with users who have had this experience and we take all attacks on our users very seriously, no matter how rare," said Apple in response to the report. "We will continue to advance the protections to help keep user accounts secure."
Apple did not provide any specific details about any next steps it might take to increase security, but there are indications that Apple may be seeking a hardware solution to scupper the scourge of so-called "shoulder surfers."
Current displays on Apple devices provide a 170-degree field of view, making it easier for others to glance at your iPhone,
iPad, or Mac screen. To counter this, two new patents by Apple propose innovative solutions to restrict screen visibility to just the user.
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