iPhone 4S Release Date: Siri Poses Security Risk - How to Secure Your iPhone 4S? (VIDEO)
Can the new voice recognition feature "Siri" offer unauthorized access to someone's Apple iPhone 4S?
This question was given an answer by security firm Sophos, who noted that Siri can be activated even on an iPhone 4S that has been password-protected.
Analyst Graham Cluley provided some more details on the matter on his blog: "Even if an iPhone 4S is locked with a passcode, a complete stranger can come up to your smartphone, press the button and give Siri a spoken command."
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Cluley conducted an experiment that proved his above statement true.
He borrowed a model of his co-worker's iPhone 4S for the experiment. Without any knowledge of his co-worker's passcode, Cluley was able to use Siri to unlock the smartphone through his voice commands. He then proceeded to send an e-mail and text back to his co-worker, "If I had wanted to I could have meddled with his calendar appointments too."
For those users of Siri and the iPhone 4S, there is a way around this potential threat.
Users can simply turn the Siri option off. In Settings>General>Passcode, slide the option next to Siri to off. "That way Siri cannot be used when the smartphone is locked with a passcode," Cluley said on his blog.
Cluley noted that this solution may be good in the short term, but "what's disappointing to me though is that Apple had a clear choice here." The company opted for a default mode that was "more about impressing your buddies than securing your calendar and email system."
Siri may be a cool piece of technology, but it still presents a hazard to iPhone 4S users' private information.
The embedded video below emphasizes the benefits of having a passcode for anyone's smartphone:
