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Comment by perfectstorm | Hacker News Reader

"The FBI has agreed to help prosecutors gain access to an iPhone 6 and an iPod..."

So yea, it's an iPhone 6.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-arkansas-fbi-pho...

If you use your iPhone 6 WITH touch ID, that is, you actually use touch id to unlock it, it makes it all the more easy for them to unlock it. They can not compel you to provide a password, as of yet, but they can compel you to provide a finger print, and they would probably have a fingerprint of yours anyway, as that is a standard procedure during booking. If you (for some reason) are concerned about FBI having access to your phone, do not use touch ID.

On the other hand, using Touch ID allows you to have a much longer/stronger passphrase, since you don't have to enter it as often.

This is why I use a jailbrake tweak that let's me draw a passcode after initial unlock, but requires a full alphanumeric password on reboot or after 5 ties. I have no clue why Apple has yet to incorporate that feature directly in the OS. Not sure if the fact that the phone being jailbroken is a further vulnerability, but to be honest, I don't really worry about FBI, as much as I am concerned about loosing my phone and having someone find it and open it.

The feature is there. Change the 4-digit pin in the Preferences to an alphanumeric password, and the iPhone will work exactly as you described.

There is no pattern password in iOS. It's only a numerical or long form password.

There's no built-in feature that lets you use a simple passcode after the initial unlock.

Touch ID ends up working like this, where your fingerprint takes the place of that simple passcode. But for people who don't want to use a fingerprint, you're stuck using the same passcode or passphrase for each unlock.

Or you know, just lift one off the case which you spend all day touching with the fingers you use the phone with.

Unless they already have a routine procedure for doing this, that's just not going to happen within 48 hours (the TouchID timeout) of seizing the device in a normal criminal case.

The suspect is alive. They can use his fingerprint for the 6. I think the case here is about the iPod touch, that has a similar security level as an iPhone 5c

They can use his fingerprint, if they did it within 48 hours of the last time he unlocked his phone with the passphrase, and if he didn't shut the phone off or make five failed fingerprint attempts in a row.

I'm guessing it's been well over 48 hours since the suspect last had access to this phone, so that would no longer apply.

Makes me think ABC omitted that on purpose :(

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